


Henry's First Christmas

by ARtheBard



Series: JEmily Forever [14]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-16 02:58:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 46,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11244909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARtheBard/pseuds/ARtheBard
Summary: Just a little fluff to tie up some loose ends: Surgery, Christmas, New Year's, house hunting...baby making. Picks up the Monday after Sleigh Ride. Enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

It’s Monday morning at Quantico and back to business as usual after the crazy Seattle case. The team had already had their meeting to discuss new cases and JJ was back in her office pouring over 15 that had come in since Friday. She sighs. It just never ends. A shadow falls across her desk and she smiles up at Ned, the mailroom clerk.

“Hi, Agent Jareau. Got a pile for you as usual.”

“Of course. Thanks, Ned.”

“Sure. Oh, and I’ve got this one for Agent Rossi. Should I leave it with you?”

JJ raises an eyebrow. Is it going to take Morgan thumping the boy into the ground for him to get it? “Ned, do I look like Agent Rossi?”

“Oh, no, ma’am!” he says with wide eyes. “You’re much prettier.”

JJ can’t help but chuckle. “Okay. Thanks. So do I  _look_   like Rossi’s   _secretary_?”

Ned thinks about it a moment. And it is the wrong way to handle the question. The smile fades from JJ’s face. She leans forward onto the desk and raises an eyebrow, her blue eyes like ice.

“Ned, I’m a Federal Agent. That means I have a gun and I’m allowed to use it. So, do I look like Agent Rossi’s secretary?”

Ned swallows in fear. “NO! No, ma’am! Not at all ma’am. Never, ma’am.” Even the guys in the mailroom had heard about her prowess with a firearm. “I’ll just…give this to Agent Prentiss!”

JJ slowly stands. “And does Supervisory Special Agent Prentiss look like Supervisory Special Agent Rossi’s secretary?”

He looks at the pictures on the shelves behind JJ. Emily is front and center in most of them. “Umm…no? Uh, maybe I should just…put this in Agent Rossi’s inbox?”

JJ nods, a humorless smile on her face. “I think that would be safest, Ned. Thank you.”

She slowly sits back down as the poor boy nearly falls over his mail cart trying to get away. As soon as he clears the door, two more people step in. Hotch quickly closes the door as he and Emily burst into laughter.

“Geez, Jen, I think he wet his pants!” Emily cracks.

“If he didn’t he should have,” Hotch says. “Even I was worried for a second there.”

JJ joins them in laughter. “Think he’ll remember this next time?”

Emily and Hotch exchange a look then glance back at JJ. “No!” They say simultaneously.

JJ nods, still chuckling. “Sadly, you’re probably right.”

“Maybe next time he walks in you should just take your gun out and caress it a few times,” Hotch suggests. “It could jog his memory.”

“Or I would definitely end up with a puddle on the floor. And I’ve got no desire to switch offices again any time soon.” She leans back in her chair. “So did you two need anything or were you just eaves dropping for a laugh?”

“Uh, actually, we needed to remind you of something,” Hotch states, sobering slightly. “JJ, your return to duty after the Ames, IA case was conditional on getting your nose fixed. It could cause problems with breathing or a minor injury to it could sideline you indefinitely.”

JJ groans. “Ugh. And let me guess, Straus wants it done before the end of the year so we can clear the books?” Hotch nods. “Well, I guess I can try to get an appointment and—”

“Yeah, um, I’ve got it for you, Jen,” Emily says.

JJ looks from her wife to her boss. She raises an eyebrow. “Were you two plotting against me? I’m going to be pissed if the answer is yes.”

“We weren’t exactly plotting, Jen,” Emily says.

“JJ, I went to Emily because you had mentioned using a doctor she knows. I wanted to know if it was possible for you to get in before the end of the year,” Hotch says. “She made the call at my request.”

“And he says he can get you in on Thursday,” Emily finishes.

“Thursday?” JJ asks in shock. “This Thursday? But Christmas is coming!”

“Now, Jen, after the first week the facial splint comes off. And the bruising and swelling usually subsides in the next week or so.”

“Usually.” JJ points out. “And when has our luck ever been that good when it comes to injuries?”

“Total recovery time is about 12 weeks,” Emily continues. “But you’ll be back to work in two weeks and pretty much okay by Christmas.”

“Pretty much okay? Emily, this is Henry’s first Christmas. What does ‘pretty much’ mean?”

Emily looks to Hotch for support before turning back to her wife. “Well, no strenuous activity for 6 weeks, like work outs and, um, lifting kids and—”

“NO! No FUCKING way!” JJ leaps up and begins to pace. “I am not going through the holidays unable to hold my son! Fuck Straus and her God damned rules!”

“JJ, I’m sorry, but if you wait…I will be forced to remove you from the team. My hands have been tied on this. I will do whatever you want,” Hotch tells her, clearly torn up by what he’s forcing her to decide.

JJ stops pacing and stares at him. “I could have been killed by that brick, Hotch. I went to my wedding looking like a damn zombie. And when I came back I have worked tirelessly and fully at my job. My nose is fine. This is all crap!”

“JJ…Jennifer, the medical clearance was specific. You need to get the nose fixed before it becomes a liability to the team. I’m sorry,” Hotch says again.

JJ looks from her boss to her wife and back again. “There’s really no other way?” Hotch shakes his head. JJ drops down onto the sofa in her office. “Fine. Set the appointment up. But warn them I’m pissed.”

Emily smiles. “I took the liberty of warning them already, Jen.”

“JJ, I really am sorry,” Hotch says.

JJ sighs and leans back. “I know, Hotch. I just…I feel fine. It hasn’t bothered me a bit. It’s just ridiculous.”

“I know. And any other section chief probably wouldn’t care. But, well, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. No one better screw up my office,” she warns.

He looks around at the stacks of files. He frowns. “I’m not even sure how they could,” he admits honestly.

The three agents chuckle. Hotch excuses himself and leaves, closing the door behind him.

“So, how much trouble am I in?” Emily asks.

“A little. Maybe a foot massage worth.”

Emily smiles. “I can handle that.” She sits down beside JJ. “You know he tried to stop this, right?”

“I know. And thank you for calling for me. Something tells me the ‘Prentiss’ name got me the appointment.”

“Jen… _you_  have the Prentiss name, too. You’d have gotten in if you’d made the call.” Emily strokes her cheek. “You are part of the whole insane wheel that turns in the Prentiss world. You get that, right?”

“Yeah. Just sometimes…it’s a lot. You know, we never did get to go over all the financial things you did when we got married,” JJ reminds her.

“You’re right. Maybe while you’re recovering this weekend?”

“Nope. Beforehand. I may not be feeling up to it this weekend and something tells me some of what I hear could make my blood pressure race. I do remember being told to keep my blood pressure down the first time around.” She looks away, tears in her eyes. “I didn’t have to worry about not hugging my son back then.”

“Hey, Jen, come here,” Emily pulls her into a hug. “You’ll be able to hug him and play with him. And if I hand him to you you’ll be able to hold him. You just can’t pick him up from the floor.” She moves a lock of hair off JJ’s face. “You will experience all of the joys of his first Christmas. I promise you.”

JJ leans her head on Emily’s shoulder. “I know. Keep reminding me of that when I get depressed.”

Emily kisses her forehead. “I will. I promise.”


	2. Chapter 2

That evening while JJ is putting Henry to bed, Emily moves a storage carton to the kitchen table and starts to pull files out of it. She stacks them in piles based on what they represent: checking accounts, trust funds, businesses, properties, etc. As she stares the pile for businesses she sneers. The top folder is for the property management company that takes care of the building they live in.

“I can’t believe that was here the whole damn time and I never even knew. Maybe I’m lucky Jen wants to see all this stuff since I’m too damn lazy to pay attention to it,” she scolds herself.

When JJ walks down the steps she sees Emily sorting the files and walks over to her, rubbing her wife’s shoulders. “Sorting through some old case files?”

Emily turns and looks at her. “Nope. This is what you wanted to see.” She gestures to the table. “This is the whole ‘Prentiss’ thing. Well, Prentiss and Dupois, my mother’s maiden name.”

JJ’s eyes get huge. “Emily…how many things do I need to know?”

Emily shrugs. “There’s only a few that really do anything worth paying attention to. Some just kind of chug along on their own and their dividends just end up in an account or a trust. So, what do you want to see first?”

JJ’s mouth gapes open a few times. Finally she shakes her head. “I have no idea where to begin. Surprise me.”

She drops down into a chair while Emily grabs one stack. “We’ll start with this one then. These are the checking accounts.”

“Checking   _accounts_. Plural? Why the hell do you need multiple checking accounts?” JJ questions.

“Because of the laws that govern how much can be insured. These are all beyond that amount but by splitting them up  _we_  are a little safer if a bank goes under or something. Plus they are in a couple different countries so if  _we_  are vacationing  _we_   don’t have to worry about conversion rates for the most part.” Emily had stressed the “we” every time she said it. She knew JJ was just a humble small town girl. Though by no means poor, the Prentiss money now at her disposal was well beyond the woman’s comprehension. Emily knew she needed to make sure JJ recognized it was her money as well as Emily’s.

JJ flips through the files. She sees her name on every single November statement. She looks up in confusion. “How did you do this? Shouldn’t I have had to sign something?”

“You did. You signed a power of attorney for my lawyers to add your name to these accounts.”

“When the hell did I do that?” JJ asks, incensed.

“Do you remember all the paperwork for the wedding license? One of them was actually this P.O.A. And before you jump my ass, my mother did it, not me. I had simply said I planned to do it I didn’t expect her to actually take the reins and do it herself,” Emily quickly says, stopping the tirade she could see coming.

JJ stares at Emily a moment, then goes back to looking at the accounts in front of her. The money she is seeing could possibly be more than her hometown makes in a year. “Son of a bitch…” she mumbles. “And these are just checking accounts? There are savings accounts, too?” Emily nods. “Okay, I’ll assume they are also the gross national profit of a small country. What about the trusts?”

Emily reaches for a taller stack and hands it to JJ. “These are from the estates of both my grandfathers and my maternal great-grandfather, who was still alive when I was born. There is also information on trusts that will become available to us on the death of my parents.” She takes a deep breath. “You’ll also find a trust set up for Henry.”

JJ’s head whips up. “Henry? Set up by who?”

“Me. It’s tradition in our family, Jen. We make sure the kids are taken care of.”

“So you set up a trust for my son already? And didn’t tell me?”

Emily sits back in her seat. She feels like JJ just slapped her. Immediately JJ realizes what she’s said. “Oh, God, Emily. I…I didn’t mean that the way it came out…I swear. Shit.” She lays the folders down and takes Emily’s hands. “If he had been born to you I’d have said the same thing. _We_   are his parents. _We_   should have discussed this. I swear that’s all I meant.”

Emily slowly nods. She squeezes JJ’s hands. “Okay. I can see that. But with the uncertainty of our jobs I wanted… _needed_   to make sure he was taken care of. You’re right. I should have talked to you about it or at least let you know it was done.” She leans forward and gives her a kiss. “So, what next?”

JJ looks at the table. She had no idea it was going to be this extensive. But it makes sense: politics alone doesn’t make the sort of money the Prentiss-Dupois family has at their fingertips. JJ smiles and looks at Emily.

“What about the properties?”

Emily chuckles at the glint in JJ’s eyes. “Thinking about a vacation, baby?”

“Maybe. Anyplace interesting we can go? Like a private island?”

“No private island. Yet,” Emily hedges with a wink. “But you know about the French villa and its attached vineyard.”

“Vineyard? You never said   _anything_   about a vineyard. We have definitely got to visit that one. Soon!”

Emily laughs. “You wino.”

“Yes. But you love me anyway.”

“Yes, I do, Mrs. Prentiss. Anyway, there is also a townhouse in London. And I think…yep, it’s been turned over to us, a small sheep farm in New Zealand. Now, those are the three we own. Well, plus this building. My parents also have properties that will eventually revert to us if they don’t sell them.”

JJ watches Emily. The brunette talks of these things like most people talk about owning baseball cards. It’s just not that big of a deal to Emily. It takes JJ a second to realize Emily is staring at her, waiting for an answer.

“Um, what? I missed what you said?”

Emily chuckles. “A bit overwhelmed, eh?” JJ nods. “I asked if you wanted to go over anything else or if this was enough.”

JJ chuckles. “I think this is enough. So this is the box in the bottom of the gun safe?” Emily nods. “I never really thought about it what it was.”

Emily starts to put the things back in the box. JJ stands and moves over to sit on Emily’s lap. “So tell me, Mrs. Prentiss, what the hell do I get the woman who owns half the world for Christmas?”

Emily chuckles. “I don’t own half the world. Maybe an eighth but not half,” she says with mock seriousness.

JJ kisses her and looks into her eyes. “Seriously, Em. What do you want for Christmas?”

“You in nothing but high heels and a red bow?”

JJ slaps her arm. “Pervert.” Emily chuckles and kisses JJ. “Really, do you want anything? I know you well enough to know you are pragmatic. You can obviously afford anything but you mostly live within your salary. So I know there are things you don’t buy because you can’t justify the splurge. So tell me, what splurge can I get you?”

Emily stares into JJ’s eyes. “I can only think of one thing, Jen.”

“What’s that?”

“A daughter.”


	3. Chapter 3

JJ stares at Emily. “Are…are you serious?” Emily nods. “You want me to have another child?”

“Well, yes, eventually. But I was thinking I’m getting older and I don’t know exactly when it started ticking but I know my biological clock is going 90 to nothing right now. I want to have a baby, Jen. I love Henry with everything in me but the bond he has with you is so different. I want that. And I didn’t know how bad I wanted that until recently. So I started thinking that maybe after his first birthday and after we get a house we can maybe look into me getting pregnant.” She crinkles her eyes with doubt. “Am I nuts?”

JJ leans forward and kisses her. “Completely certifiable. But that has nothing to do with this.” She strokes a hand down Emily’s cheek. “I already know you are an incredible mother. I think you’ll make a great pregnant lady.”

“I hope so.” She pulls JJ closer. “I always thought I’d be a terrible mother so I never even dreamed it. And as we got closer to Henry’s birth I thought I would be doing him and you a favor if I ran for the hills. I mean, it’s not like I had the best mother growing up,” Emily admits sadly.

“True. But I look at Francesca and I think you learned more from her, and probably other nannies, than you realized. I’m glad you didn’t run, baby. And I know Henry is glad,” she concludes with a smile. “You couldn’t love him more if you had been the one to carry him for 9 months. And he adores you, sweetheart. I know any child that comes along will, too. Whether it’s yours or mine.” She kisses Emily’s cheek. “And no matter what, they will always be  _ours_.”

“Thank you,” Emily chokes out, truly touched by how much JJ believes in her as a mother.

She pulls JJ down into a deep kiss. JJ turns so she is straddling Emily’s lap. Emily moans.

The kiss never breaks.

Emily glides her hands up JJ’s arms and starts to unbutton the top her wife wears. When she had come home, JJ had changed shirts and gotten rid of her bra. Emily says a silent ‘thank you’ for that foresight. Her hands fill with JJ’s supple breasts, feeling the nipples harden against her palm.

And still the kiss doesn’t end.

Emily slides her hands up to JJ’s shoulders and completely eases the shirt off JJ’s shoulders. JJ removes her hands from Emily long enough to let the shirt fall to the ground. Emily’s hands roam all over her wife’s torso: front, back, sides, breasts, stomach, shoulders. It’s as if Emily wants to re-memorize every inch of JJ by touch.

And the kiss continues.

As one of Emily’s hands caresses and squeezes a breast, the other hand slips into the flannel pajama pants JJ had put on. JJ rocks into the touch as Emily’s hand dives into the incredible wetness she finds.

And the kiss keeps on going.

Thrusting two fingers into her wife, Emily uses her palm to rub the hardened clit the way she knows will drive JJ over the edge. JJ pumps up and down on Emily’s fingers, riding the digits to ecstasy.

Finally the kiss ends.

“EMILY! YES!”

Emily thrusts a few more times into JJ, letting the woman ride out the orgasm until she collapses completely. Emily holds her close, feeling the aftershocks send tremors through the gorgeous blonde’s body.

“I love you, Jennifer Prentiss,” Emily whispers in her ear.

“I love you, too, Emily Prentiss,” JJ whispers back as her head nestles into Emily’s shoulder. Her legs still wobbly, JJ stands and offers her hand to Emily. “Come upstairs and let me show you how much.”

Emily smiles as she stands. “Best offer I’ve had all week.”

* * *

 

Garcia’s jaw nearly hits the ground. “A vineyard? You two own a vineyard in France?”

JJ chuckles. “Apparently so.”

“What do you want to bet it’s not the cheap boxed wine,” Garcia jokes. “Nope, I bet it’s some super-awesome wine that people trade their children for.”

“Trade their children for? Christ, Garcia, what kind of wine is that?” JJ asks laughing at the thought.

“The kind you see someone paid $1000’s for and then they put it in a safe somewhere and their kids find it years later in the will and then they open it and it’s DEEEE-VIIIINE!” Garcia drawls out the last word dramatically, fanning herself as if it’s too much for her to contemplate.

JJ laughs at her best friend. “Well, if we ever get to go, I’ll make sure to bring you back a bottle of whatever it is they make. And you won’t even have to trade me your first born for it. Well, unless it’s a really good wine,” she jokes.

Garcia laughs. “So what else?”

“I’m not sure what to make of this but, we own a sheep farm in New Zealand.”

“A sheep farm? How adorably cute!” the analyst squeals.

“And tasty,” JJ points out.

“Tasty? Oh, no, I refuse to believe my best friend and her sexy wife own a sheep farm for food. I will only accept that you own it for all the nice wool to make pretty sweaters and scarves and hats,” Garcia insists.

JJ laughs. “Okay, you believe what you want. But I saw the financial statement.” She sits forward in her seat. “Look, we need to get down to business. You and Reid will be babysitting my job for 2 weeks while I have this ridiculous and unnecessary surgery. Don’t screw with my filing system.”

“Does it count as ‘screwing with it’ if I don’t know what it is I’m screwing up?” Garcia asks as she looks around the office.

“Ha ha,” JJ says humorlessly. “Look it’s easy: this pile is spree killers, here’s serial killers, this one family annihilators, this one is serial rapists, here we have child abductions, these are ritual murders, these are stalkers with violent escalations, this one is miscellaneous.”

“Should I be scared that “miscellaneous’ is so big?”

JJ grins. “Probably. With those you just have to guess whose specialty can best help the case move forward. If you’re not sure, just ask Reid or any of them really.”

“Well, how do I know which ones the team should go to in person?” she asks nervously.

JJ stares at the files. She looks through every one of them that comes across her desk. Over the years she has just learned to follow her instincts. How does she explain that to Garcia?

“It’s just…a gut thing sometimes. Penelope, you’ve assisted us on every case we cover, whether the team goes or not. Something tells me you’ll know it when you see it. And again, if you have questions, ask one of the team members. That’s also why Reid is helping you with my office. He’ll be able to help you make the choice.” She reaches across the desk and takes Garcia’s hand. “It’s just two weeks, Pen. And I will just be a phone call away.”

“I still can’t believe we only have two days to get ready for you to go. Are you scared?”

“No. Just angry. It’s Henry’s first Christmas and I won’t be able to just pick him up and love on him. I’ll be taking it easy instead of just having fun with him.” Tears well in JJ’s eyes. “I am just so angry. My nose is fine! I’ve had it broken and repaired before. It’s not giving me any trouble so why the hell do I have to do this?”

Garcia squeezes the hand she still holds. “I don’t know, sweetie. If I had known Straus was going to pull this I’d have done one of my infamous ‘things’ with your medical note.”

JJ laughs. “You can always make me fell better, Pen. But I think she would have noticed if I didn’t actually have the surgery.”

“True. But then we could have all pretended your medical release didn’t require the surgery and she’d believe she is going nuts.”

JJ just shakes her head, knowing that Garcia and the rest of the team would have done just that.

“Come on, troublemaker, let’s keep on showing you the ropes. I don’t want you to ruin my filing system.”

Garcia looks around. “I’m not even sure I could,” she responds, exactly mimicking Hotch without knowing it. JJ just raises an eyebrow.

“Does everyone think my filing system doesn’t exist?”

Garcia nods. “Yeah. Pretty much. Your office is ‘JJ-fied’ and no one would dare question it since you have never let us down. But we also think you’re just incredibly lucky. After all, you did land Emily,” she points out with a wink.

JJ laughs. “Well, how can I argue with that logic?”

That afternoon, JJ is finishing the final write up on the Seattle case when Ned comes through with the mail. He hands her a stack, avoiding talking to her. She can’t help but be amused he is so scared of her now.

As she flips through the stack, one regular business letter envelope catches her eye. She hadn’t seen the handwriting in years but she would still know it anywhere.

“Elle,” she whispers.


	4. Chapter 4

JJ stands and closes the door to her office. She moves to the couch and slowly slits the envelope open. It takes her a second to gather enough courage to pull the letter out. She opens it and begins to read.

_JJ,_

_I hope you open this letter but I won’t blame you if you just send it through the shredder. For many years I had a huge crush on you. At some point, I convinced myself it was love. Truth is, I think I was trying to convince myself of that so that I didn’t have to face the fact that I was alone and I would remain alone as long as stayed on the path I was on._

_After I got shot, I turned from the people that could help me and turned to the bottle. I’m not even sure I knew how bad it was until Emily showed up at my house. I hope she’s told you by now about that. If not I’m truly sorry. I’m not trying to get her in trouble because the truth is she may have saved my life. I was just too much of a jerk to admit that to myself and instead I tried to get you and the team to look down on her with that whole revolver move. I’m really hoping it failed as miserably as it seemed to._

_After the shooting stopped at the precinct, you were covered in blood when I saw you and it scared me. But then I saw Emily. The brave, strong, emotionally stable woman was a wreck. And it was because she didn’t know if you were okay or not. I was scared but she was destroyed. Had anyone told me that could happen to her, I’d have called them a liar. You are her world, JJ. And the thought of you dead was more than she could handle._

_It was at that moment I knew I never did love you fully and completely. It would hurt if you had died but my life would have gone on. Please don’t think I’m being callous, I’m not. I’m trying to say that I’m sorry for pursuing you when you didn’t want it, for forcing myself on you when you said no, and for all the terrible things I said and did to try to drive a wedge between you and Emily. Emily Prentiss loves you, JJ. And in seeing her love for you I know I’ve got a long way to go before I can ever love someone that way. And I have to start with loving myself._

_I know it’s not much, but I haven’t had a drink since the shootout with Albert Smith. The first couple of days were tough. More than once I wanted to say fuck sobriety and just drink a bottle of Jack. But I also want more than anything to find the kind of love you and Emily share. I can’t do that as a drunk and I can’t do that as a fallen cop. My badge has a tarnish on it that I will work hard to shine off._

_On the way to Mercer Island you asked me how could have worked so hard to get into the FBI and yet turn on everything I believe in. You said you’d wanted to ask 3 other law enforcement officers but were unable to because they were dead. I figured if nothing else, I owe you the answer to that question to help maybe give you the peace of mind you have been needing._

_I was mad that I got shot. I was in my home, where I should feel safe and I wasn’t. My teammates were at Quantico, safe. I was bitter about that. And that bitterness had time to fester while I healed. You all were still going out on cases and I was stuck at home, off the job. I started out blaming Garner, then started to blame Hotch, then all of you and then finally the job. And once I blamed the job it was easy to turn my back on everything our team and the FBI stood for._

_I can’t speak for the others, JJ, you know that. But for me it was simply that I let my anger turn me into someone that previously would have disgusted me._

_I hope this answer helps you some, JJ. I don’t expect that we can just go back to the way it used to be. But I hope, at least, that if I get sober and you all end up back in Seattle we will be able to work together to stop an unsub._

_Good luck in your life with Emily and Henry. You and she really make a beautiful couple. I’m not exactly sure how to sign off on this so I’ll sign off with what I hope to be able to say again in the future._

_Your friend,_   
_Elle_

JJ folds the letter. She had drawn her knees up onto the couch as she read and now lays her head against them. Tears drop from her cheeks as she remembers the good times with Elle. She prays that the woman she used to know and, as a friend, love can finally get back the peace her life had been missing for years now. Who knows? Perhaps one day they will be able to call themselves friends again.

JJ pulls out her cell phone. She quickly types out a text.

“ _I need you_.”

A moment later someone taps on her door and opens it. Emily leans in. She sees JJ on the couch and rushes in, pushing the door closed behind her

“Jen? What’s wrong? Henry?” Emily drops onto the couch and pulls JJ into her arms.

JJ relaxes into the embrace and hands the letter to Emily. Emily rubs JJ’s arm as she reads the letter. When she finishes she looks at JJ.

“Are you okay?” she asks softly.

“I…I think so.”

“Is the answer enough? Does it help?”

JJ sighs and thinks for a second. “I think it does. I think the only way someone could completely turn away is anger. A fury so deep inside that nothing matters anymore. I couldn’t save them, Em. Battle, Weston, Phillipe…what was inside them was too angry, too far gone to be saved. But maybe…just maybe we saved Elle. Maybe.”

Emily tilts JJ’s face up and gives her a gentle kiss. “I’d say you did, Jen. If she hadn’t changed she wouldn’t have written this letter. You can mark her into your win column.”

JJ smiles at her wife. “You can, too.”

Emily smiles. “And I will.”

They sit there together a few more minutes. Finally JJ eases away. “I best get back to work. Only one more day in the office after this.”

Emily smiles. “Yep. I’ll be able to I-chat with my girlfriends again,” She says with a wink.

“That’s fine. I can have my girlfriends and boyfriends over all day long while you’re here settling for I-chat,” JJ shoots back.

“Ouch! That just isn’t fair, Mrs. Prentiss. Not fair at all,” Emily grins.

“True. I guess I’ll just have to save myself for the old ball and chain,” JJ says with mock resignation.

“Much, much better plan,” Emily grins and gives her a kiss.

Emily heads back out to the bullpen. JJ walks over to her desk. She opens her bottom drawer and pulls out a picture of the old BAU team. In it, she stands beside Elle, their arms around each other’s shoulders. With a sigh, she tucks an edge of the letter into the frame and slides it back into the drawer. Yes, maybe some day they could be friends again.


	5. Chapter 5

Emily paces back and forth in the waiting room. Sure it was sort of a routine surgery. Well, it wasn’t open heart surgery or anything serious. Just a standard rhinoplasty. People have them all the time. Emily scrubs her hands down her face. But those people weren’t Jennifer Prentiss; those people weren’t Emily’s world. As she starts back across the waiting room her path is suddenly blocked.

“Emily, she’ll be fine,” Sandy Jareau assures her daughter-in-law. “She’s had this done before and will come out fine just like last time.”

“I…I know. But for some reason I seem to have swapped brains with Reid and I keep having all sorts of negative medical statistics flying through my head. And trust me, you  _don’t_   want me to share them,” she warns Sandy.

Sandy chuckles. “Come sit down, honey. She’ll be fine. Tell me about what you’re planning to get Henry for Christmas.”

Emily drops into a seat between Sandy and Alan. “Um, well, actually I don’t know yet. It’s kind of a big thing. It’s his first so it should be something memorable. But at the same time he won’t remember it and will probably have more fun with the box and wrapping paper.”

Alan chuckles. “Isn’t that the truth.”

“I’m also worried about getting him something too big just yet since we don’t know what our house will be like. I know what we want: lots of rooms for more kids and for family visits, a nice size yard to play in, good schools in the area, hopefully close to the team since they are all part of our extended family. But until we have a place, we’ve just got the condo. And—” Suddenly it dawns on Emily that she had not been worried about JJ for the last few minutes. She turns and looks at Sandy. “Damn…you’re good.”

Sandy chuckles. “Lots of years of practice, Emily. So, tell me about this vineyard. Do we know the wine?”

Emily relaxes back in the chair, letting Sandy do her thing. “No, it’s kind of just a local thing. I’ve asked Mother to get some sent for Christmas so everyone can try it. It’s pretty good. A rich red and a sweet white are the specialties of the villa. I used to have some in my collection but, well, like I said, it’s pretty good,” Emily finishes with a grin.

“I look forward to trying it,” Alan lets her know.

Emily looks down for a minute then back up at Alan. “Jen kinda freaked when we discussed financials and stuff.” She looks to Sandy. “Did she tell you everything?”

Sandy nods. “Yes, Emily, she did. I think she needed to talk it out. It was a bit overwhelming for her.”

Emily nods. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Alan chuckles. “Don’t be sorry, Emily. I think we kind of suspected you may have a few bucks when you bought the Lexus.” Emily smiles. “And then, well, your mother is a one of a kind to say the least.”

Emily chuckles and nods as she thinks about Elizabeth. “Yes. To say the very least.” She sighs. “I didn’t mean to scare, Jen. But she had to know eventually, right?”

Sandy can tell Emily really needs an answer. She takes her hand and gives it a comforting squeeze. “Yes, she did. And it was best to discuss it before this surgery. She’s going to have to avoid frowning for a couple weeks. And Lord knows that girl can frown when she’s questioning something.”

Emily pictures JJ’s “thinking face” and grins. “Yes…but it’s almost as adorable as her and Henry’s pout.”

The Jareau’s laugh and agree. Just then the doctor enters the waiting area. Emily leaps to her feet.

“Dr. Carruthers!”

He gives her a bright smile. “Emily Prentiss! Why I remember when you came to me begging to get your nose shortened.” He gives her a kiss on the cheek before turning his attention on the Jareau’s. “She was five, just so you know. I’m glad to see you grew into it as it looks original.”

Emily is blushing brightly. “Ah, yes, it’s original and I grew into it just fine. How’s Jennifer?”

“She’s doing fine. My son is finishing her up now.”

“Jacob? I didn’t know he was in practice with you!”

“He’s pretty much taking it over. I want to spend the best years of my life relaxing on a beach somewhere not working. If all goes well, that will be next year.”

Emily nods. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” He looks to the Jareau’s. “I have to say whoever did her first nose job did a splendid job with it. It actually made our job easier. The trauma team that set it also did pretty good for a rush job. She’s very lucky.”

“When can we see her, Dr. Carruthers?” Alan asks.

“She should be out of recovery and into her room within the hour. She’ll be groggy for a while. Keep in mind some people can get grumpy and irritable when coming out of the anesthetic. Don’t take personally anything she may say or do for the next few hours. She may not even remember any of it.”

“We remember that well, Doctor. Last time she told her mother and me she was never speaking to us again because we didn’t let her dress as Tinkerbell for Halloween when she was six,” Alan relates to them.

Emily busts out laughing. “Really? Please remind me to have my video phone going. I want anything she says or does on record so she can’t deny it later.”

Everyone laughs, the feeling much lighter in the room now that JJ was past the surgery.

“Well, if you all want to grab a cup of coffee and relax a little bit I’ll come get you when she’s ready for visitors.”

Emily takes his hand. “Thank you, Dr. Carruthers. For everything.”

“Any time, Emily. Talk to you soon.” He nods his goodbye to Sandy and shakes Alan’s hand as he heads back down to check on JJ.

Emily lets out a huge sigh of relief. “I am so glad this part is over. I better call Pen and let her know so she can tell everyone.”

“You do that and we’ll grab you a coffee, okay?” Sandy offers.

Emily nods and pulls out her cell phone. It is answered before the first ring stops sounding.

“Speak, Prentiss!” Garcia orders.

Emily chuckles. “She’s out of surgery and doing fine. We should be able to go see her in her room in about an hour. And if she does anything crazy while on the drugs I’ll video it to show at our next meeting.”

Garcia laughs. “You rock, Emily. I’ll let everyone know she’s okay. Call us with an update when you have a chance. And tell her we send our love and wishes for a quick recovery.”

“You bet. Thanks, Pen.”

“No problem, Emster. Garcia out!”

Emily smiles as she hangs up with the vibrant blonde. Feeling better now that the surgery was done, she heads back to catch up with the Jareau’s and wait for the chance to see JJ for herself.

* * *

 

JJ slowly opens her eyes. She looks with drug-clouded eyes at the person staring down at her with concern.

“Mommy…you changed you’s hair color,” she mumbles as her eyes close again.

Emily blurts out a laugh. “Oh, Jen, that is such an Oedipal statement I don’t even know where to start.” Alan and Sandy are also chuckling.

Sandy stands up from her seat and moves to JJ’s other side. “Come on, baby. Wake up for us now.”

JJ’s eyes flutter again, her head lolling towards her mother’s voice. “Oh, good, Mommy. You changeded it back.”

“Well, you didn’t seem to like it,” she jokes.

“Mm, no. Just Mememily should have dark hair. Is Mememily here?”

Emily has tears coming down her cheeks she is trying so hard not to laugh. “I’m here, baby. Right beside you.” She glances up at Sandy. “At least I hope I’m the ‘Mememily’ of whom she speaks.”

Sandy winks at her. “I’d venture a guess you are.”

JJ’s head lolls back towards Emily. She gets a big grin on her face. “Hi, Mememily. I lub you.”

Emily kisses her forehead. “I ‘lub’ you, too, Jennifer.”

“My face hurts,” JJ complains.

“I know, sweetie. As soon as you get rid of all the affects of the anesthetic we can get the pain meds going. So wake up, baby.”

“Coffee.”

“Um, sorry, Jen, you can’t have coffee.”

“Ahhhh,” she whines. “But it won’t stunt my growth! Promise!”

Emily has to turn away. It just doesn’t seem fair to laugh but she can’t help it. “Uh, no, baby, I don’t think it will but—”

“Coffee. Now! Or I’ll tells my Mommy ’bout the cowboy hat and chaps!” JJ insists.

Emily turns bright red. She slowly looks up at her in-laws. “I swear on everything I own I have no idea what she’s talking about!”

Alan and Sandy are cracking up. “Oh, Emily, I promise not to take anything Jenny says seriously,” Alan promises.

Emily looks back down at JJ. “Honey, you really need to come out of it before you say something that makes sense and embarrasses me. Right now it  _doesn’t_   make sense and it’s embarrassing me.”

“Aw, I’m sorry Mememily. I didn’t means to tell ‘bout the adult games. I won’t say nothin’ else ‘bout how we use the cuffs when we isn’t working,” JJ promises in a VERY loud whisper.

“Please, Jen, for all that is Holy, PLEASE stop talking,” Emily begs.

The Jareau’s are nearly on the ground they are laughing so hard. The normally reserved profiler is as red as a ripe tomato. And if it takes JJ as long to come out of the haze as it did last time there’s a good chance Emily will stroke out before long. Sandy lays a hand on Emily’s shoulder.

“How about we wait down the hall until she’s feeling better?”

“Thank you so much,” Emily says with relief. After they leave, she looks at Jen. “I know there are drugs involved here but I’m still going to get you for this, Agent Jareau.”

JJ smiles. “You’s sexy as hell, ya know that?”

Emily grins. “I’m glad you think so since you’re stuck with me the rest of your life.”

“Yep. I got’s a ring to--” she holds up her hand and her eyes get wide. “Oh, shits! Someone stealed my ring! You gots to find it!”

“Easy, Jen, no getting excited.” She pulls a chain out of her shirt. “You’re rings are right here, baby. I’ve got them all safe and sound for you.”

“Oh. Okay. You thinked of everything.”

“Yes, baby, I did.”

“I should marry yer ass.”

Emily laughs. “I think that would be a wonderful idea.”

“Or maybe just bang ya in the closet.”

Emily busts out laughing. “Why, Jennifer Prentiss, you get mighty randy when you’re stoned. I need to remember this so I can hold it over your head forever.”

“Foooooreverrrrr. That’s what them rings means.”

“Yes, yes they do.

An hour later Emily steps out into the hallway. The Jareau’s see her and stand. Emily approaches them, chuckling.

“I think she’s safe now. Well, safe for my reputation, at least,” she clarifies.

“How bad did she get?” Alan asks.

Emily thinks a moment. “Let’s just say I’ve seen a whole new side of Jen and I’m beginning to question that sweet and innocent façade she puts on so well.”

Alan blushes. “Then I’m pretty sure I’m glad we waited out the rest of her recovery out here.”

The three re-enter the room. JJ refuses to meet her parent’s eyes. “I swear I don’t remember a thing and I am so sorry for the things I said.”

Sandy pats her on the arm. “We know, baby.” She kisses her forehead. “How do you feel?”

“Like a brick hit my face…again. Hurts like hell. Even worse than last time.”

Alan squeezes her hand. “It will get better, honey. Are you ready for us to call Francesca to bring Henry?”

JJ gets nervous. She looks at Emily. “Em?’

Emily smiles. “He loves you, Jen. You won’t scare him too much. Maybe startle, but not scare.”

JJ bites her lip as she thinks about it. “Well…okay. I guess.”

Alan lets out a relieved breath. “Thank goodness.” He leans out into the hallway. “Francesca? She’s ready.”

JJ’s eyes widen as much as possible. “What? He’s already here? But I thought—”

Sandy shrugs and smiles smugly. “We played a hunch.”

“There’s Mommy!” Francesca’s ebullient Italian-accented voice rings out.

JJ looks towards the door and sees the nanny holding a giggling Henry. When his gaze finally lands on JJ’s face he gets his shocked look: eyes wide, mouth in an “O”. He looks at Francesca and back to his mommy…then starts to giggle and clap.

“That’s right, Henry, laugh at how silly Mommy looks,” Emily encourages.

“Watch it, Prentiss,” JJ warns as Francesca walks closer. Henry reaches for JJ. “I wish I could take you, Little Man. But can I can’t right now. I’m sorry, Henry.” She shakes his hand. She knows she can’t even risk giving it a kiss in case he flails and accidently hits her nose. Tears well in her eyes. Emily sees and lays a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s just a couple days, Jen,” she comforts her wife. “Just a couple days, baby.”

JJ takes Emily’s hand. “I know. Still I think it hurts more than my face.”

Emily kisses JJ’s head, wishing she could help her wife heal faster.


	6. Chapter 6

JJ is staying overnight at the hospital. Sandy and Alan will be staying with her so that Emily can be home with Henry. This is the first time she’d be staying alone with him and despite her worry for her wife she is excited for this time. As she finishes giving him his dinner, she smiles at him.

“Was that good, Champ?” He claps his hands. “Good! I knew it would be. Nothing but Gerber’s best for my boy.” She cleans off the food that missed his mouth and gets him a teething cookie. “And now for a gourmet dessert!”

“Mmmm!” he ‘says’ as he takes it.

Emily chuckles. “I’ll take your word for that, Henry.”

As he gnaws on his cookie, she cleans up his dishes and puts them away. When she turns back around she laughs at him.

“Geez, Henry, you do know you’re supposed to eat that not use it as a mousse, right?”

His blonde hair stands up in several different directions thanks to cookie residue. As she watches he runs a cookie-covered hand through his hair once more, making yet more spikes. She shakes her head.

“I hope you’re not trying to tell me you’re already going through your punk phase, Little Man.” He just grins proudly. “You little rascal.” She snaps a picture with her phone and texts it to JJ.

She cleans his hands off once again but decides it might just be easier to give him a bath to get the rest. As she carries him upstairs she gets a text alert. She pulls out her phone and sees JJ’s response to the picture.

“ _He better not be starting his punk rock phase already._ :o)”

Emily just shakes her head. “We are too much alike sometimes, Henry. We’re going to drive you insane. I apologize now.”

A few minutes later he is in the tub and they are playing with his bath toys for a little bit. As he squirts her with water she squeals as if in fear. He just giggles. She picks up some of the bubbles in her hand and blows them at him. He cackles as they tickle his nose. Finally she gets down to washing his hair. As she washes, she talks to him.

“So, Henry, how would you like a little brother or sister? I mean, not right away. It’s not exactly something Santa can bring you. See, I kind of want to have a baby. And I hope you know that won’t change my love for you. I love you so much, Henry. Nothing will change that.” She leans over and kisses his now clean head. “You’re going to be a great big brother, Henry. The best big brother ever.”

She lifts him out of the tub, rinsing the last of the bubble bath off of him. As she finishes drying him she slides a diaper under him…just in time for him to use it. He giggles happily as she shakes her head.

“Well…at least you waited. Remind me no more stewed carrots when Mommy’s not here to change your diaper, okay?” she says with a wink.

Once he is all bundled up and ready for bed, she takes him back downstairs for a little while. She turns the news on and sets him on the play mat, settling down on the floor with him since he has proven to be a swift crawler. By sitting where she does, she cuts off his ability to head towards the stairs or the kitchen. He stares at her a moment, as if studying his escape route. She grins.

“Sorry, big guy. I’m a super smart FBI agent and I know how you escapees like to think. You’re not getting past me,” she tells him.

As if in challenge, he crawls right up to her legs and starts over them. She lifts him up, giving his tummy a raspberry. He cackles with glee.

“Told you, Champ. You’re not getting past me!”

She leans over and sets him back on the mat. He stares at her…happiness and mischief in his eyes. She stares back, giving him a sly grin. Letting out a huge squeal of laughter he starts towards her legs again. She rolls to her side, making her legs a taller target. He crawls right up to them and tries to push them over with his head. She laughs.

“Ah, headstrong like your mother, I see. But I can stop you just like I can stop her, Champ.”

She sits up enough to lift him up, once again thrilled to hear his happy laugher. This time she settles back with him, setting him in her lap.

“How about we catch the weather report then head upstairs for story time? Sound like a plan?” He claps his hands. “You’re so agreeable.”

He sits on her lap leaning back against her chest. He sucks on one fist while the other reaches up to twirl in Emily’s hair. She feels so peaceful and content. It amazes her. The love of her life is in a hospital bed after having surgery but Emily isn’t the wreck she was worried she’d be. She glances down at the little boy in her lap and kisses the top of his head. Holding him was like holding a part of JJ. But it’s more than that.

“You’ve loved me from day one, haven’t you Henry?” she whispers. “You didn’t know my family, you didn’t know my past, you just trusted me because I was there. Thank you, baby boy. That is the most precious gift I’ve ever been given.”

Once the weather is done, Emily turns him around and looks into his sleepy eyes. “Ready for a story and a lullaby, Champ? I know I am.” As she stands he tucks his head into the crook of her shoulder and neck. He tucks his hands down in front of him, getting comfy. Emily’s heart melts again. She sighs in happiness.

Up in the nursery she picks up “Goodnight, Moon.” It’s not what JJ usually reads him but Emily feels “Bedtime for Baby Star” should remain his and his mommy’s. He seems fine with the change. And as she puts the finished book back down, he grabs at her lips. She smiles and kisses his fingers.

“I know my cue, Henry.” She starts to sing to him. She studies him, noticing that at just about the same point every time he starts to let his eyes slip closed. It’s as if he wants to extend their time together as much as she does. But finally sleep wins out and he slips off to sleep. Emily just continues to sit there, rocking him and humming all of the lullaby’s she can remember.

After an hour she gets up and gently lays him down in his crib. She strokes a hand over his back and gives him a kiss on the head.

“I love you, Henry. I am so proud to be your mama.”

* * *

 

JJ grins at the latest pic she gets from Henry. He is asleep in his bed. The text tag on it is “Dreaming of Mommy coming home.” She shows her mother.

“Aww…that’s sweet,” Sandy says.

“You know what’s crazy, Mom? It’s harder for me to be this close to him and yet not be there than it is to be across the country. I just feel like…to be this close I’m letting him down even more by not being there.”

“Oh, Jenny, at no time are you letting him down. Especially not now. You’re in the hospital getting treated for a medical problem. It’s not like you were here to get a boob job or something.”

JJ laughs…and then moans. “Ow…shit…don’t make me laugh.”

“Sorry, baby.”

JJ bites her lip, wondering if she should mention something to her mother. Sandy waits patiently, recognizing the signs. Finally JJ looks into her mother’s eyes. Sandy sees pride and happiness.

“Emily wants to have a baby.”

“YES!” Sandy hollers.

JJ starts to laugh again and catches herself. “Damn it! That hurts. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“I’m sorry, Jenny. But I’m just so happy for you both. When?”

“Well, we want to get past the holidays and get into a house. Then, well, I guess we’ll start to look into it.”

“What’s the process?”

JJ blushes. “Um, well, I’m not sure about anything except that she’s probably not going to do it the same way I did.”

Sandy chuckles. “I should think not.”

“We haven’t really discussed the full details but she wants to do it soon. Biological clock and all, you know.”

“Ah, yes, I can understand that. Any chance you’ll both try to get pregnant at the same time?” she asks hopefully.

JJ slowly shakes her head. “No way. Someone has to be able to go get the midnight-craving snacks. If we’re both demanding them, who will do that? And besides, two hormonal, pregnant women in one house? Not even Morgan would be brave enough to crash through that door.”

“Ah, both very, very true points. Well, something tells me Emily will make a very beautiful pregnant women. Much like her wife.” Sandy leans forward and kisses JJ’s temple. “I love Henry so much, Jenny. And I can’t wait to meet his little brother or sister.”

JJ smiles as much as she can and leans into her mother’s hug.


	7. Chapter 7

At the first holler Emily is awake. By the second she is almost to the nursery. Henry had been sleeping through the night for a while now so it’s unusual to hear him in the middle of the night. And Emily recognizes the cry as his “I feel bad” cry. Her heart is pounding.

“Hey, Henry,” she says calmly as she enters the nursery. She flips on the lamp instead of the overhead to protect his eyes. “Hey, Little Man, how you doing?” She feels his head and he is burning up. “Oh, Henry, you are not well. I’m so sorry for you, Champ.”

His jumper is soaked with sweat. She carries him over to the changing table and gets it off of him. She changes his diaper, noting the nasty diarrhea. “What’s going on with you, sweetie? Geez.”

Henry had had sniffles before but he had never seemed this sick. Or maybe it’s because JJ isn’t here it just seems worse. Emily places her lips against his forehead, an old time way of checking his temperature. She shakes her head and looks at the still fussing boy. “Nope, you are definitely sick. Let’s see what we’ve got.”

She heads to the bathroom and looks in the cabinet. She sees 4 different medicines for sick kids. “Damn, Jen, which one do I use?” She reads each box and, as far as she can tell, they all do about the same thing. “Well, hell, that doesn’t help me.” She looks at Henry. “Do you have any ideas?” He just cries. “Yeah…didn’t think so.”

She finally picks the one she is most familiar with. “Well, we’ll give you a small dose of this and plan to see your doctor tomorrow morning, okay?” She fills the dropper with the correct amount of liquid and squirts it into his mouth. His cries choke off as he scrunches up his face and glowers at her. She smiles. “I know, it wasn’t fair to wait until the apex of your cry but it worked, right?” She kisses his forehead. “Come on, Henry. Let’s go see if we can get you back to sleep. I know I won’t be sleeping again tonight.”

She grabs her phone on her way back to the nursery. Sitting in the rocker with the calming tot, she calls and leaves a message with the pediatrician’s service saying they need an emergency appointment. Emily rocks the chair gently, singing various songs to Henry: lullaby’s, disco, pop, anything that comes to mind. He seems fine with all the choices. She is glad to see he is able to rest a bit after the medicine. She just wishes his temperature would go down. She reaches to the dresser beside the rocker and takes out the ear thermometer. She uses it and sees he is at 101. She winces. It just seems so high!

“We’ll be at the doctors when they open, Henry, okay?” She kisses him again. “Yep, we’ll be waiting for them, Champ. Just try to rest a bit, okay?”

As he fusses some more, she grabs for a nearby bottle of water and offers it to him. He drinks greedily. Emily’s heart just breaks for him. She hates she can’t just snap her fingers and make him better.

“It’s times like this, Henry, when I’m reminded all the damn money in the world is pointless. I’d trade it all just to make you feel better.”

* * *

 

Just after 7 a.m. JJ’s phone gets a text alert. Sleepily, she reaches for it, assuming it’s a good morning from Emily and Henry. She’s sort of right. She sits up suddenly.

“MOM!”

Sandy jumps, nearly falling off the cot she sleeps on. Alan also starts, sitting up on the futon he used overnight.

“What’s wrong? Are you bleeding? Having trouble breathing?”

“No. Something’s wrong with Henry.” JJ is already on the phone. “Emily? What’s wrong? Why are you going to the doctor?” She can hear Henry crying in the background.

“Jen, he woke up in the night with a fever and diarrhea. I gave him some medicine and he got a bit better. We’re meeting the doctor first thing this morning. I’m on my way already hoping they’ll let us in early.”

“He still has a fever?” JJ is concerned that the Lexus hasn’t put Henry to sleep. Normally he falls right back to sleep as soon as they are on the road.

“Yes, but it’s down to 100 from 101 so I’m focusing on that. No diarrhea this morning which was also a good sign, I hope.”

“Oh, our poor baby.”

“Yeah. Look, I’m at the doctor’s office now and see his nurse heading in. I’ll call you as soon as I know something.”

“Okay, Em. Give him a hug and kiss for me. I love you both.”

“Love you, too, Jen. Talk to you soon.”

As they disconnect, JJ looks at her mother. “How soon can I check out of here?”

Sandy smiles. “Your father’s already gone to see. He’ll be okay, sweetie. Emily is taking good care of him.”

JJ nods. “I know. Just need to make sure myself.” She closes her eyes. “Geez, Mom, how the hell did you handle worrying about 3 little kids? It’s hard enough to worry about 1!”

Sandy smiles. “You’ll figure it out, Jenny. Of that I have no doubt.”

* * *

 

“Mrs. Prentiss, good to see you again, though I wish it was for just a check up,” Henry’s doctor says kindly.

“Me, too.”

She stands to the side as the doctor reviews the readings the nurses took earlier and then checks Henry himself. After a few minutes he nods and makes a few notes on Henry’s chart.

“The good news is it’s just a virus and we’ll get him some medicines that will knock it out. Bad news is, it will be a few days of unhappiness for Henry and you.”

Emily smiles. “I’ll take the bad news as long as the good news holds.”

The doctor chuckles. “Good way to look at it. I’m afraid you and Jennifer are in for a few sleepless nights.”

“Well, I am at least. Jen just had major reconstruction surgery on her nose. I’ll be watching over both of them for a few days. Thank God for coffee! Right, Henry?” He just sucks on his fist. She nods. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

The doctor smiles at the bond the woman shares with the little boy. “I’ll get the prescriptions called in for you at the CVS you normally use. I’ll send the nurse back to get you when you can go.”

“Thanks, Doctor.” After he leaves, Emily looks down at Henry who has finally fussed himself to sleep. “You scared the heck out of me, Henry. Maybe this is why Mother only had one child. What am I going to do when I have to worry about two or more?” She kisses his forehead and smiles. “I’m willing to find out.”

Once they leave, Emily puts her Bluetooth in and hits redial. As soon as her wife answers, Emily gives the report. “He’s going to be fine. Picking up some meds for him and heading home.”

“Oh, thank God.”

“Yep, he’s going to be cranky for a couple days but the doc is sure he’ll be fine. I’ll just plan on nursing both of my favorite people this weekend instead of nursing one and playing with the other.”

JJ smiles. “I could maybe ask my parents to stay?”

“That’s up to you and them, Jen. I sure won’t mind having them around but don’t make them feel they have to stay. Francesca and Garcia are just a phone call away if I get in a bind.”

“Okay. Well, I’ll let you know. The doctor said I can leave in about an hour. I can’t wait to see you two. I love you.”

“I love you, too, baby. We’ll see you at home.”

She disconnects and glances in the rearview mirror. “Mommy should be home just after us, Champ. I know she’ll make you feel better. And I know you’ll make her feel better, too.” She hits another number on her phone.

“Hotchner.”

“Hey, Hotch. I know I’d planned to come in this afternoon for a couple hours but Henry is sick.”

“Henry? Have you taken him to the doctor?” the chief asks with concern.

“Just left. Having to pick up some medicine for him and get him home. I’m sorry, Hotch. If he and Jen are feeling better on Sunday I can maybe get in for a couple hours to catch up on paperwork.”

“Don’t worry about it. If Straus hadn’t insisted on JJ getting this surgery you wouldn’t have missed yesterday. And if she says a word about your reports being late I’ll point that out to her,” he states with an edge of satisfaction in his voice.

Emily laughs. “Glad I can give you something to throw back at her.”

“Me, too. So, take care of your family, Emily. And if you need anything please feel free to call. I still remember when Jack got sick that young. I don’t think I slept for 48 hours and that was with Hailey able to help out.”

Emily smiles, touched by the offer. “Thanks, Hotch. I’ll call you if I need to. I really appreciate it.”

She disconnects as she pulls into the CVS parking lot. She gets Henry out and heads inside, groaning as she sees the first few flakes of the expected snowstorm starting to fall. “Let’s hope we can get in and out quickly, Champ. I sure don’t want to have to keep you out any longer than necessary.”

As she waits for the prescription to be finished, she stands, slowly bouncing Henry as it helps keep him calm. An older woman smiles at them.

“He’s adorable.”

Emily smiles and kisses his forehead. “Yes, he is. Thank you.”

“First big illness?”

Emily nods. “Yep. I guess it’s my first heart attack of many,” she jokes.

“Most definitely. He’s so blonde. Your husband must be, too.”

“Actually, my life partner is. He looks just like her.”

The woman’s smile fades from her face. “Oh.”

Emily’s stomach turns. She sighs inwardly. It’s not often they run into homophobia but it looks like she’s smacked right into it this morning.

“Well, maybe if you and your ‘ _life partner’_   lived a less morally bankrupt life he would be okay,” she says with derision. The woman starts to mutter to herself, though it’s obvious she is saying it loud enough for Emily to hear. “The authorities ought to save that angel from those devils.”

Emily has to bite her tongue not to respond. She is more than a little relieved when the pharmacist signals to her that the prescription is ready. As she leaves the store, she kisses Henry’s head.

“Henry, there is a whole lot of ugly out in the world and I will do my best to shield you from it. You have my word. I love you, Champ.”


	8. Chapter 8

A little after 11 a.m. JJ and her parents enter the condo. They are quiet, knowing Henry may be sleeping off his illness. As they enter the kitchen, they hear singing on the baby monitor. They step closer and listen:

_I knew I loved you before I met you_   
_I think I dreamed you into life_   
_I knew I loved you before I met you_   
_I have been waiting all my life_

_There's just no rhyme or reason_   
_Only the sense of completion_   
_And in your eyes, I see_   
_The missing pieces I'm searching for_   
_I think I've found my way home_   
_I know that it might sound_   
_More than a little crazy_   
_But I believe_

Sandy looks at JJ. “Isn’t that the song from your wedding?”

JJ nods, tears in her eyes. “It’s our song. The first night we went on a date we danced to it and the words just…they mean so much to us.”

“It’s a beautiful song, honey. Why don’t you go up and check on Henry.”

JJ nods and heads up the stairs. She quietly leans around the door of the nursery, not wanting to disturb Henry if he’s resting. She smiles as she sees Emily staring down at the little boy, who seems to be sleeping peacefully. Sensing her wife, Emily looks up. She stops singing.

“Hi,” she whispers.

“Hi,” JJ says, walking in and kneeling beside them. “How’s he doing?” She feels his forehead.

“Resting better. Temp is down to 99 so the meds are working. He should be good as new in a couple of days. And I know all the books say we should just let him fuss but he’s sick, baby, and every time I put him down he cries so I’ve just been sitting here and singing anything I can think of to keep him calm and resting,” Emily explains quickly.

JJ smiles and leans up to give Emily a kiss. “I’d have done the same, honey. Mothers can’t stand their babies being sick.”

“You got that right. I feel so helpless, Jen.”

JJ strokes Henry’s head. “I know. But you’ve done everything for him you possibly can. Now just time and love are all we can give him.”

Emily smiles. “The love is easy. But I want time to speed up so he and his Mommy are all better.” She reaches out and gently strokes JJ’s cheek. “I’m glad you’re home, sweetheart. I love you.”

JJ turns and kisses Emily’s palm. “I love you, too. Thank you for taking such good care of our boy.”

“I’d say it’s my pleasure but, well, you know,” Emily says with a grin.

JJ chuckles. “Yeah, I know.”

Emily slowly stands. She walks over and lays Henry down in the crib. She stands there a moment until she is sure he is going to remain asleep then she turns to JJ. She pulls her wife close, studying her face.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m okay. Face is sore and ugly but it will be okay in a few days.”

“Jen, you could never be ugly.” Emily kisses her forehead and pulls her close, rubbing her back. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”

JJ holds Emily tightly. “You always say what I need to hear.”

“Because I always tell you the truth, honey.”

The two stand there a moment more. After a last check on Henry, they start out of the nursery. Emily reaches for the baby monitor but sees it’s missing. She starts to look around.

“What the heck did I do with that thing?”

JJ takes her hand. “You left it downstairs. It’s how I knew you were up here singing our song to our son.”

Hand in hand they head back downstairs. They find Alan and Sandy sitting on the couch. Sandy stands and pulls Emily into a hug.

“How’s our boy?”

Emily smiles. “Better. Temp is down and he’s finally sleeping. He’s tough like his Mommy so he’ll be fine in no time.”

JJ smiles and squeezes Emily’s hand.

“So, did Jen say anything embarrassing after I left?” Emily asks with a wink/

Sandy chuckles. “Nope, she kept things pretty much G-rated until after your call this morning.”

Emily turns, eyebrow raised at JJ. “Oh, really?”

JJ shrugs, blushing below her bruises. “Damn doctor was taking too long to check on me and my baby was sick. I was scared and a bit angry and I may have used 1 or 2 colorful terms to express my dismay.”

Sandy huffs out a laugh. “1 or 2 my foot. Girl would have been rated ‘R’ if she was a movie.”

Emily laughs as JJ’s blush grows. “Thanks, Mom. Ruin my rep with my wife. Appreciate it.”

“Jen, if you really want a ruined rep I could tell them what you said when they left the room yesterday.”

JJ turns to Emily. “Do the words ‘cut off for life’ mean anything to you?”

Emily and her in-laws have a good chuckle at JJ’s expense. The blonde nods. “Fine. I see how it is. Gang up on the chick in the mask. Real nice, guys.” She starts to walk away.

Emily wraps her arms around JJ from behind, stopping her retreat. “Hey, now, we’re just playing. We love you, sweetheart.” She then whispers in her ear. “Besides, when you feel better I may actually want to try some of the things you suggested.”

JJ slowly turns and stares at Emily. “You do know I have no recollection of what I said, right?”

“It’s okay. It’s on my phone,” Emily tells her with a smug grin.

“Oh, dear God. Em, if Garcia or anyone  _ever_   sees that I will hurt you. Badly,” JJ warns her wife.

“Don’t worry, baby, it’s for my ears only.”

Further discussion ends as Henry’s wail is heard over the monitor and down the stairs. Sandy offers to go check on him to give Emily a brief break. The brunette agrees and heads into the kitchen to pull out luncheon meat, cheese and bread.

“Did you all eat? I never had a chance this morning.”

“I know I could eat,” Alan says. “And Jenny needs to before she takes her next round of meds.”

By the time Sandy returns, the makings for sandwiches are spread out on the table and Emily has some fries cooking in the Fry Daddy. As they are getting ready to eat, the phone rings. Emily sees the caller ID and just hands the phone to JJ.

She smiles as she answers. “Hi, Mark.”

“Hey, Stinkerbell! How you feeling?”

“Mark, if you don’t stop calling me that I’m going to kick your butt,” she threatens her brother. He laughs, clearly not worried. “I’m okay. Sore but that’s to be expected. Worst news is Henry’s sick but Emily got him to the doctor and he should be on the mend.”

“Dang, poor Emily. Can’t imagine having to take care of Shelby and Abby both. Good thing she’s got some help from Mom and Dad.”

“For the afternoon at least,” JJ agrees. “They have a wedding tomorrow so it will just be Emily dealing with those of us on injured reserve the rest of the weekend.”

Emily smiles and says loud enough for Mark to hear. “Save me, big brother! Please!”

Mark laughs. “Tell her I’ll send her a case of beer when you all get better.” JJ laughs and relays the message. Emily gives a thumbs up. “Well, I need to get back to work. I just wanted to check on you, Stink. Glad you’re okay.”

“I’m going to be okay. I’ve got Emily to watch over us this weekend and Francesca will be back on Monday to help with Henry. We’ll make it okay.”

“I’m glad, Jen. But if you need anything, call me. I’ll make the drive if you need me. I love you, little sister.”

“I love you, too, Mark,” she says, touched by his offer. “I’ll let you know if we need anything. I promise. Give Shelby and Abby a kiss for us.”

“You got it. Take care.”

She hangs up and looks at her parents. “So, when we were kids terrorizing each other did you ever think we could actually be friends?” she asks with a grin.

“Of course we did, honey. Heck, you can only fight with someone that much if you love them,” Alan tells her. He looks at Emily. “There was about 3 years where those two couldn’t be in the same room where one didn’t accuse the other of something. I think the best was Jen complaining Mark was breathing too loudly on purpose.”

Emily chuckles. “So is this a warning for when we have more kids?”

Sandy pats her on the shoulder. “Definitely. Speaking of which, Jenny told us you’re thinking about getting pregnant.”

Emily smiles. “Yeah, I am.” She gets a nervous look on her face. “Is that okay?”

Sandy laughs. “Oh, honey, it’s more than okay. You are a great mother. Something tells me you’ll be a heck of an expectant mother, too.”

“I hope so.” She looks at Jen. “At least I have a good role model to follow.”

JJ smiles. “Charmer.” Emily winks at her.

The group shares a lunch and soon the Jareau’s are getting ready to leave.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay, Emily?”

“If you’d like you can but I think I’ve got it. Jen knows what to do for herself which frees me up to concentrate on Henry’s needs. I think I’ve got this. And I’m sure I could call on Garcia or Morgan if I get into a real bind.”

“That’s true,” Alan agrees. “You all do a good job taking care of each other.” He pulls her into a hug. “Good luck with everything. I love you, Emily.”

“I love you, too,”

She exchanges a hug with Sandy. JJ walks her parents out. When she comes back a few minutes later she hears Emily talking to Henry.

“I know you’re not feeling good, Champ. Once we get your diaper changed you’ll feel much better. Promise. There. All better now. You feeling up to saying hi to Mommy? I know she’d like to see you. Come on, big guy. I bet she’s downstairs by now. I’m sorry you missed your grandparents but they didn’t want to wake you up. I’m sure they’ll spoil you even more next time you see them to make up for today. I’m sure of it.”

JJ just chortles at the non-stop monologue Emily keeps up with Henry. She was a hell of a mother and JJ can’t wait to see what she does with two kids to keep up with.

* * *

 

That evening, Emily is making dinner. Her eyes slide towards the couch and a beautiful sight. JJ reclines back against the arm, Henry asleep on her legs. Even in sleep, his hand pats his Mommy’s leg, offering comfort. JJ’s hand caresses his head, also offering comfort as she watches the news. Emily’s heart hurts from the swell of love she has for them both.

Once dinner for JJ and her is cooking, she starts to get Henry’s dinner together. The doctor had recommended a meal for him and Emily had picked up the food at the pharmacy. She heads over to the couch and kneels behind it.

“I hate to wake him, Jen, but he needs to eat.”

“I know. I’ll get him fed. I may not be able to lift him but I know I can lift his spoon.”

Emily grins and squeezes JJ’s bicep, as if checking the muscle. “Yep, I think you can maybe do that.”

JJ raises an eyebrow as much as she can. “Watch it, Agent Prentiss.”

“I love you, Agent Jareau.”

“Wise come back,” JJ says with a grin.

Emily lifts up Henry. The little boy groans and starts to fuss. “Easy, sweetheart. It’s dinner time, Champ. We’ve got some yummy organic stuff for you to try.”

“Stuff? Sounds yummy,” JJ teases.

Emily chuckles. “Have you seen it? Trust me…it’s ‘stuff’. Real food doesn’t look like this. Baby food in general is ‘stuff’,” Emily insists.

JJ laughs and can’t really argue with that point. She is still trying to get Henry to take a bite a few minutes later as Emily puts two plates of spaghetti on the table.

“Gee, Henry, I can’t believe you haven’t eaten. It looks soooo good,” Emily tells her son.

As if in answer, he smacks the spoon of food…and the glob of food flies off onto Emily’s plate of spaghetti. JJ giggles as Emily stares down at her food.

“Well, Mama, you said it looks soooo good,” JJ teases.

Emily slowly looks up and sees Henry staring at her questioningly. She looks at her wife, who gives her an amused grin. With a sigh, Emily uses her fork to carefully lift the glob up. Taking a deep breath, she sticks it in her mouth.

“Mmmmm,” she moans, a fake smile plastered to her face.

“Tell her to swallow, Henry,” JJ pushes, wishing she could laugh without extreme pain and potential damage.

Emily glares at her then looks back at Henry, who is still staring at her. Emily counts to three in her head and swallows.

“Oh, yeah, Henry. Sooo good,” Emily forces out with a smile.

Henry grins at her and turns to JJ, his mouth open. JJ feeds him a spoonful and he smiles.

“Mmmm!” he says.

JJ just shakes her head. “Well, King Henry, I’m glad your royal taster proved this was okay to eat.”

Emily can’t help but grin, somewhat proud he would look to her for a cue.

* * *

 

By Sunday night Henry is feeling better. He is tucked in and sleeping soundly as Emily and JJ get ready for bed themselves. Once in the bed, Emily pulls JJ close.

“Are you sure you’re okay with me going back to work tomorrow?”

JJ snuggles in as much as her face will allow. “Yes. Francesca will be here for Henry and I can do fine on my own. Besides, Straus would have a fit if you miss another day.”

Emily lifts JJ’s chin and stares into her eyes. “Straus can kiss my ass. If you or Henry need me, I’ll be here.”

JJ smiles and strokes Emily’s cheek. “I know. Thank you. And I promise if we need you, we’ll call.”

They stare into each other’s eyes. Emily swallows. She can’t help but be overwhelmed with desire for JJ. She takes a deep breath, trying to quell the urge to kiss her wife passionately.

JJ sees the struggle in Emily’s eyes. She slowly shakes her head. “I have eyes that make me look like a raccoon, a face brace, swelling, what’s not bruised is bright red and yet you still look at me that way,” she whispers with awe. “You make me feel like a super model, Emily.”

“You’re beautiful, JJ. Inside and out. Nothing can change that in my eyes,” Emily says honestly.

JJ sits up and starts to lean down to kiss her wife. Unfortunately, the position change puts pressure on her face. She has to pull away.

“Fuck. Shit. Damn,” she mutters as she has to resituate herself. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“Hey, now. Don’t be sorry, Jen. It’s okay. All I care about is you getting better.”

“But I want to kiss my fucking wife,” JJ gripes.

Emily smiles and entwines her fingers with JJ’s. “And your ‘fucking wife’ wants to kiss you, too.” JJ can’t help but grin. “Here, let me come to you.”

Emily sits up and moves to JJ. Once there, she lets JJ take control of the kiss, allowing her to maneuver them in whatever way keeps the blonde free from pain. When the kiss ends, Emily stares into JJ’s eyes.

“I love you, Jennifer Prentiss.”

“I love you, too, Emily Prentiss.”

They settle back down in the bed. Emily sighs in contentment. Having JJ beside her, Henry down the hall, her life felt so good; so right. How she had ever come to deserve these true riches in life she will never know. She kisses JJ’s head once more and settles down to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Monday morning Emily drops her briefcase on her desk and heads for the kitchenette. She glances towards the hallway and groans internally as she sees Straus heading her way.

“ _God, not before coffee_ ,” Emily moans to herself.

“Agent Prentiss,” the chief says by way of greeting.

“Ma’am. Coffee?” Emily offers.

“I’m good, thank you. How is Agent Jareau?”

“She’s going to be sore a few more days but things are looking okay so far.”

“Good to hear. When you skipped work on Friday I assumed she’d had a turn for the worse. Obviously you just wanted the day off.”

Emily stiffens at the implication. “Actually, ma’am, Henry was sick. I took him to the doctor, _which_   I informed Unit Chief Hotchner about, as I am required to. I’m sorry if you didn’t get the message but I followed the chain of command.”

Straus knows that last bit is a dig about the section chief’s own stance on chain of command. Straus stares down her nose at Emily a moment. It bugs the older woman that the profiler refuses to be cowed by her.

“I see. Is he feeling better?”

“Yes, ma’am. He’ll be on antibiotics the next couple of days but he’s already much better. Thank you,” Emily relates.

“Good. Well, I’ll let you get to work. I’m sure you’ve got lots to catch up on.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am.”

Emily watches Straus leave, wishing the woman would trip over her own feet and embarrass herself. No such luck. Emily finishes making her coffee and heads to her desk. She is enmeshed in a case file when a shadow falls across her desk.

“Hey, Princess, how’s JJ?”

Emily smiles up at Morgan. “She’s good. Sore and frustrated mostly but she’ll be okay in no time. In fact, I figure by the end of this week she’ll be giving me reasons she can report to work or begging me to bring case files home to her.”

Morgan laughs. “Yeah, I can see Blondie doing those things. Henry feeling better?”

“Yep. He even ate dinner last night without excessive fuss. He’ll still be on meds the next couple of days but he’s tough. He’ll be fine.”

“Good. We were all a bit worried about you. I think Garcia was getting ready to assign us times to check on you but Hotch got her calmed down.”

Emily laughs. “She’s so awesome. Remind me to thank her.”

He pats her shoulder. “You got it.” She looks around. “Where is everybody?”

“It’s just you and me in the office today. Reid and Hotch are on an inmate visit. Rossi is in New York to testify in those home invasions he consulted on.”

“Ah, okay. Well, we best get to work before Straus wanders in again. She’s already scolded me once this morning for shirking my duties. Don’t want to give her any more ammunition.”

Morgan rolls his eyes. “Good grief.”

He heads to his desk and starts to go through his files. A couple hours later, Emily stands.

“I’ll be in the conference room. I need to spread these pictures out,” she says frowning.

“Need a hand?” Morgan offers.

“Not just yet. But maybe. Let me look at it a bit more.”

Morgan nods as Emily carries a large box into the conference room. She pulls out the pictures of the 8 strangulations and spreads them out on the table in order of their discovery. Something about them is nagging at her but she just can’t figure out what. She leans against the wall and starts to re-read the first case summary out loud, hoping it will help her see the link she feels is there.

“23 year old prostitute. Blonde hair, green eyes. Nude. Raped. Ligature marks. No DNA left by perp.” She lifts the next summary. 25 year old drug addict. Blonde hair, green eyes. Nude. Raped. No ligatures. No DNA.” She lifts the third. “22 year old homeless woman. Blonde hair, green eyes. Nude. Raped. Ligature marks. No DNA.” She places the case summary down. She starts to pace, talking the cases out loud.

“Okay, so same hair and eyes…he has a type. No ligature marks on junkie could mean they just weren’t needed. Nude and raped is what he likes to do. No DNA means condom or unable to ejaculate, and he cleans up after himself, since all three show traces of rubbing alcohol on their legs and vagina. So who is this guy?”

She picks up the next three case files. This is where things start to diverge a bit but her hunch is it’s the same guy.

“22 year old student. Hair and eyes match; nude and raped. Ligatures and signs of whipping. Still no DNA.” She opens the next one. “21 year old student. Hair, eyes, nude, raped match. Ligatures on arms only. Why not the legs?” She turns and writes that question on the white board they keep in the room. She picks up the next file. “23 year old student. Hair, eyes, raped, nude. No ligatures but traces of Rohypnol in her system. No DNA.” On the white board, she adds the question why no ligatures, why the date rape drug instead?

She stares at the two questions then picks up the last two cases. “24 year old single mother. All m.o. matches, including ligatures.” The last one is the one that truly has her baffled. “32 year old single mother. Blonde hair, _blue_   eyes. Naked, raped. Ligatures on her ankles but not her wrists. Bizarre. No DNA.”

She starts to pace. “The eighth victim is older and her eyes aren’t the right color. So far that has not varied. All are natural blondes until her. She’s a dye job and even has roots showing. He would have seen that. She is a lot older. And if her legs are tied, she would have been fighting with her hands but there’s no proof she did that. No Rohypnol or other sedative in her system. Why wouldn’t her hands show signs of fighting if her hands were free?” She stops and stares at the woman’s death photo. “I’m so sorry. You’re not part of the other kills. But someone wanted authorities to think you were.”

She sets that case aside and starts to look at the other seven. They are definitely the work of the same unsub. But something is still bothering her.

“Okay, so he gets better. Goes from high risk victims to lower risk. And appears to be progressing to even lower risk by victim 7. Does he really just kill three in each victim range or are there more out there? If only 3, that’s part of his psychopathology. Could be OCD or could be he has a goal set for each victim-type. If so, he’s got his sights set on 2 more single mothers.”

She picks up the phone in the room and calls the detective who sent her the case. She tells him what she has discovered, warning him to get the word out in the press for blonde-haired single mothers to be careful. She also breaks the news that the eighth case is a copy cat.

“A copy cat? But, Agent Prentiss, there were things we kept from the press. Only the killer would know them!”

Emily bites her lip. She hates this part of the job. “I promise you, based on what I see, she is not connected to the other seven. And if there was hold-out evidence, well, you may need to look at her specifically to see why someone would want her dead. And, Detective, you may want to do it quietly.”

She hears the sigh at the other end of the line. She knows it. It’s when your worst fear is confirmed. “I was really hoping you wouldn’t say that, Agent Prentiss.”

“You suspected what I was going to tell you?”

“Yes. My captain and I both did. I’ll let him know to contact IAB. No way am I taking down another cop even though the bastard deserves it if he really did it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know. Thank you.”

“I’ll get my official report on the other 7 written up and sent out to you. If you need any more help, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. Good luck.”

“Thanks, Agent Prentiss. I’ll be in touch when we bring both of these bastards down.”

She hangs up the phone and starts to recollect the files. Morgan pops his head in.

“All okay?”

Emily shrugs. “As okay as it can be. Just had to tell a detective something he already knew: one of these deaths doesn’t belong and is most likely the work of another cop.”

“Ouch,” Morgan says sympathetically. “What about the others?”

“Definitely serial. And, truthfully, something’s still bugging me I just don’t know what.”

“I need to get away from my desk for a few. Mind if I take a look?”

Emily shakes her head. “Go for it.” She spins the white board over so he doesn’t see her notes. “Let’s see if you click on the same things I did. Maybe together we’ll figure out what’s wrong with this picture.”

He nods and gets to work as she heads back to her desk. She sees an email with attachment from Jen and quickly clicks on it.

“ _Henry did it. I swear_ ,” is the text. She clicks open the picture and sees the wall splattered with what looks to be oatmeal, a bowl on the floor. She laughs and responds.

“ _Not_ **my** _perfect little angel. Tell him to keep his Mommy in line for me_.”

She starts on her next case file. After 15 minutes, Morgan walks up to her.

“Prentiss, what if the unsub’s a woman?”

Emily slowly sits back in her seat, contemplating that. “The deaths are clean. The smaller the woman the fewer the ligatures. Or in the case of one Rohypnol was used. Rape could have been done with a surrogate for a penis. Alcohol was used to clean them up so no one would get the gender marker out of the DNA. And they would have trusted another woman sooner than a man which could be how 3 students and 1 mother got caught.” She mulls it a second more. “I like it, Morgan. I think that’s what was bugging me. The killer is a woman. Thanks, Derek.”

He nods and heads back to his desk. She grabs her phone and calls the detective back. When she tells him the additional bit of news, she hears silence at the other end.

“But…are there really women serial killers?”

Emily rolls her eyes at the question. “Trust me, Detective, murder was the first thing women achieved equality in. There have been female serial killers around since the dawn of society.”

“Oh. Um, sorry. No offense was meant it just…you don’t really hear about them.”

“To be honest, it’s because a lot of society won’t admit they can exist. It just stuns people that mother figures can kill. Even the media shies away from these types of stories. You need to make them understand they have to warn women to watch out for other women. This unsub will keep killing until she is stopped. Save lives, Detective, _make_   the media report it. If she holds to pattern, your next victim will be taken next week. You’ll have my full report in an hour.”

“Thank you again, Agent. I’ll do what I can to get them to listen to me.”

By the end of the day, Emily has sent 5 case profiles back to their origins. Three more are awaiting searches from Garcia. As Emily stretches, she tucks her briefcase under the desk. Morgan sees and smiles.

“Not taking work home?”

“Nope. I have two patients to take care of. They get my full attention each night this week.”

“Good for them. And you. See you tomorrow.”

She says goodbye and heads towards the elevators. She sees Garcia heading her way and pauses. They analyst had been so busy that day they’d barely said three words to each other.

“Hey, Emster, any chance I can stop by to see my godson and Jayje?”

Emily smiles. “I think they’ll love that.”

“Coolness! I should be out of here in about an hour. How about I bring pizza?”

Emily nods. “Sounds perfect. I’ll call you if Francesca or JJ has something prepared already.”

“Perfect. See you in a bit.”

Emily heads out and calls to let JJ know she’s on her way. She finds out Francesca has already prepared baked ziti…enough to feed an army, according to JJ. JJ offers to call and let Garcia know so she can chat with her friend a bit.

When Emily arrives home, she finds JJ sitting at the table with about 100 home listings spread across it. She raises an eyebrow.

“Busy today, sweetheart?” She leans down and gives JJ a kiss.

“Your Mom texted me the name of a realtor she knows. I called her and she sent some preliminary listings for us to look at and narrow down what we want in a home and neighborhood.”

“You’re texting with my Mom again?” JJ nods. “Pod person,” Emily mutters with a grin as she walks away. A balled up piece of paper hits her in the back of the head. She laughs as she heads upstairs to get changed. She pokes her head into the nursery and sees Francesca changing Henry. He sees his Mama and starts to wiggle.

“We thought we heard Mama!” Francesca says as Henry cackles.

Emily walks over and feels his forehead. “He looks and feels great, Francesca.”

“Si, the worst is past I am sure. He is a strong boy, aren’t you Henry. Just like your Mothers!”

He giggles and waves his arms. Emily is so happy to see him back to normal. She heads into the bedroom to get changed. By the time she comes downstairs, JJ is feeding Henry and Francesca is preparing to leave.

“Timer is set for the ziti. When 5 minutes are left put in the garlic bread, cara.”

Emily nods and salutes. “Yes, ma’am!”

Francesca chuckles and slaps her on the shoulder. She gives each of them a kiss then heads next door to her condo. Emily sits down and starts to thumb through the houses. All are 4-5 bedrooms, have at least an acre of yard and are in nice neighborhoods. She has no doubt a realtor suggested by Ambassador Prentiss would only have such listings at her disposal. She does notice the lack of price on each listing. She glances at JJ.

“Why aren’t we seeing price ranges on these?”

JJ stiffens. “Uh, according to your mother, these types of listings don’t need prices.”

“Ah.” Emily stares at JJ’s back. “Jen, we don’t have to spend a mint to get the right house. And we don’t have to use a realtor like this one. This needs to be a comfortable search for you. I don’t want it to stress you out.”

JJ slowly turns and looks at Emily. “I…I just…I can’t believe I’m going to say this.”

Emily swallows, all her doubts and insecurities racing to the surface. “ _Jennifer is going to divorce me_ ,” she thinks before she can stop herself.

“I’m scared, Em,” JJ admits. “How do I say yes or no to places I know I can never afford. I don’t want to seem like I’m…I’m using you or something.” She shakes her head. “I don’t know what I mean. Shit.” She blushes as she realizes she has cussed in front of Henry. She sighs. “Let’s face it…if we buy one of these it’s Prentiss money buying it. And I know my name is on those accounts but I didn’t earn that money. It just seems…I don’t know the word…”

Emily stands up and moves to her wife. She pulls her to her feet. “Jennifer, look into my eyes and understand what I’m about to tell you: I haven’t done a damn thing to earn ‘Prentiss’ money either. I didn’t go into one of the businesses; I sure as hell didn’t go into politics. I fight with everything in me to keep from touching the trusts and accounts. I want to earn my own way in the world. You know that. But when it comes to you and Henry and anyone else that comes along, I will tap into those funds for our safety, security and happiness. So don’t look at it as something we didn’t earn. Look at the money as a way to give Henry and his siblings the best life possible. If that means a million dollar home, fine. If it means a cheaper home in a nice neighborhood so be it. Where ever we end up is what matters, not how much is paid.”

JJ stares into Emily’s eyes. “I love you, Em. You never fail to amaze me by getting to the heart of my fears.” She strokes a hand down her wife’s face. “And don’t think I didn’t notice that flash of fear and doubt in your eyes. I’m not leaving you, honey. My life would mean nothing if you weren’t here to share it with.”

Emily smiles, “And you think you’re not a profiler.”

They share a kiss, once again Emily fighting her own urges back to let JJ lead the way. It ends when there is a knock on the door.

“That would be Pen.” Emily glances at the stove and sees 2 minutes left. “Damn it! The bread!”

She slides the loaf into the oven as JJ chuckles. She lets Garcia in and they spend the rest of the night enjoying food, fun and lots of laughter.


	10. Chapter 10

On Thursday morning Emily watches with anticipation as Dr. Carruthers removes the brace from JJ’s face. The brunette can’t help but wince as she once again sees the extensive bruising on her wife’s face. It’s not that it mars the beauty. Emily just can’t stand the pain that JJ must feel.

“Oh, Jen…” Emily whispers.

JJ cuts her eyes briefly to her wife, who she knows feels the pain for her. She then looks back to the plastic surgeon.

“Well, can Emily stop humming the theme from ‘Phantom of the Opera’ every time I enter a room or what, Doc?” she asks lightly, hoping to make Emily smile. It works.

“So far so good. Let me check a few more things and get another x-ray to be sure but I’d say you’re mask-less after today,” he confirms. He then looks at Emily. “And you be nice, young lady. I’ll tell your mother to take you over her knee.”

Emily chuckles. “Yes, Dr. Carruthers.”

He heads out of the room to order the x-rays. Emily takes the time to move toward JJ. “It looks really good, Jen. I just…hate that you are in pain. I really hate it.”

JJ takes her hand. “I know, sweetheart. But I’ll be fine in no time. This time next week I’ll even be back at work.”

Emily frowns. “Why not take the whole week? It would serve Straus right.”

“Maybe. But, Em, I need to work. You should know that.”

Emily nods. “I do. I just…did I mention I really hate that you’re in pain? I just want you better as soon as possible and if extra rest would help with that I’d say screw Straus. She’s the one that forced you here anyway.”

“True. And don’t think that hasn’t crossed my mind,” JJ adds with a grin. “But, Emily, don’t you think if our workload falls too far behind she’ll hold that against us, too?”

Emily nods, she hadn’t considered that. “Yeah, she would. Damn her. Then at least promise me you’ll make use of your office door and Garcia’s skills with the security cameras. If you need to rest, lock the damn door, have Garcia loop your feed, and take a rest on the couch. Okay?”

JJ nods. “That I can definitely do. I love you, Em. Thank you for taking care of me.”

Emily runs a finger over the ring set JJ wears. “It’s part of the job, ma’am. And the best part of the best job I’ve ever had.” She leans forward and gives JJ a gentle kiss.

It ends just as the nurse comes in to take JJ down for x-rays. An hour later, they are leaving the office. As they head to the SUV, JJ pulls a paper out of her pocket.

“Before we go home, can we swing by this place?” She hands the paper to Emily. Emily sees an address in JJ’s familiar writing

“Sure. I don’t have to be in until after noon so we’ve got time. What is it?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Okay. Umm…it’s not a sex club where we can work out some of your drug-induced fantasies, is it?” Emily teases.

JJ blushes and slaps Emily’s arm. “NO! And I swear, Emily Prentiss, if you don’t show me that video you took soon I will stop believing I said anything.”

Emily just smiles smugly. She’d been holding the video back knowing some of the things JJ suggested actually sounded like fun. And the gorgeous blonde would need to be fully healed to act on any of them. In the Lexus, Emily punches in the address on the GPS and sees it’s in a neighborhood just north of Quantico. She glances at JJ, who just smiles.

They head south, eventually coming to a large, gated community. Emily hands her credentials to the guard at the gate as JJ sits forward.

“I believe Wanda Orr called ahead for us.”

He scans a clipboard. “Ah, yes. Okay proceed straight and take the third right.”

Emily nods at the redundant directions. The GPS already knows where they are going, which makes it more in the know than Emily. But since the realtor had called Emily has a feeling JJ has found a house that she really likes. When they pull into the driveway, Emily can see why.

“Jennifer…it’s beautiful.”

JJ smiles. “Really? You like it?”

Emily smiles at her. “So far so good. Come on.”

They get out of the car and Emily stops for a moment to stare at the 2 story brick home. It sits on 2 full acres, giving them plenty of privacy from their neighbors. A look at the other homes shows several with signs of kids, which is a good thing for Henry and any other children. Post lanterns line the walk from the driveway to the house. A two-car garage caps the large, double driveway.

There are white, decorative columns along the front porch and a gorgeous lantern-style hanging light over the door, its style matching that of the post lights and the lights at the garage. Additionally, Emily notes subtle lights at the eaves of the house and sees they are angled to make sure there are no dark corners where unsubs could hide. She grins, thinking only FBI agents and cops would think about such things.

Before they reach the door, it opens to reveal Wanda standing there smiling. “So, what do you think so far?”

“It’s beautiful, Wanda,” Emily tells her. “And as long as it’s not a complete dump inside we may be very interested.”

Wanda chuckles. “I promise: not a dump. Come on in.”

Emily looks at JJ and sees how excited the blonde is. She tilts her head a second, studying her wife. “You’ve already been here, haven’t you?”

JJ giggles. “Yep. Geez, Em, I was bored. House-hunting was more fun than watching soaps. Francesca and I brought Henry out here yesterday. They love it, too.”

Emily shakes her head, chuckling. “You amaze me, Mrs. Prentiss. Come on, show me the house.”

JJ leads her inside. “It has 6 bedrooms, including a master suite with its own attached office.” She looks at Emily. “We can keep case files in there well away from any kids.” Emily nods in agreement. “The kitchen is amazing and, here’s something special for you my wine connoisseur, in the basement it has a temperature controlled wine cellar.”

“SOLD!” Emily blurts, as if it’s the only thing that matters. Wanda and JJ laugh at her.

JJ and Wanda continue to lead Emily through the house. There is a gorgeous great room with a rock wall fireplace, dark woods giving the room a warm look even without the fire lit. There is a playroom for kids, complete with book shelves, a built in toy box, and a bay window with a cushioned seat. A formal dining room has built in china cabinets and room for a 12 seat table.

“Between families and the BAU team it will be handy to have a big table,” Jen points out as Emily nods.

When they reach the kitchen, Emily sees JJ is right: it’s amazing. Stainless steel appliances and an island with its own sink leave plenty of room for cooking. On one side, a small dining nook has room for a 4 seat table. Large glass windows open on to a garden area. Emily walks over and looks out the windows. Though everything is brown and dead in the winter, Emily can picture it in full bloom. It would be breathtaking. She opens the door and steps outside. She sees the deck that comes off a backroom they haven’t seen yet. Steps lead down to an in-ground pool, right now covered against the winter weather. A walkway from the garden leads to it from another direction. She looks up and sees a balcony with a small table and 2 chairs. She assumes it’s off the master bedroom. She turns and heads back inside.

“Upstairs?” JJ asks.

“Lead the way, sweetheart,” Emily tells her.

JJ takes Emily’s hand and Wanda precedes them up the stairs off the kitchen.

“These come up right beside the master bedroom,” Wanda points out. The stairs we saw in the Foyer obviously split the hallway.”

She opens the door to the master suite. Emily loves it immediately. She can picture their bed up against one wall facing the large floor to ceiling window. She steps into the attached office JJ and mentioned and sees it would be perfect for working from home without risking the kids seeing some of the horrors their mothers face every day. She then moves to the attached bathroom. She smiles as she sees a tub a little larger than the one in the condo. JJ walks up and wraps her arms around Emily’s waist from behind.

“I see that grin, Emily Prentiss. And you’re right, it’s bigger,” she whispers.

Emily chuckles and takes the hands at her waist. She leans back against JJ. “It’s perfect so far, baby.”

They look at the other five bedrooms, each with built in bookshelves. Emily nods as JJ points out children’s rooms could be closer to theirs while guest rooms could be farther away. Emily nods but one thing is bugging her.

“Jen, this place is beautiful but what about Francesca? If she’s going to be a live in nanny she really should have a place of her own for when she’s not working.”

JJ smiles. “It’s covered. We just haven’t been there yet.”

Emily nods. “Okay.”

The three women head down the foyer staircase. JJ leads Emily back to the room with the deck. It is a huge game room. Emily can see it as being a great place for the kids to play. She chuckles to herself as she realizes she’s already thinking about multiple kids. JJ walks over to a small cabinet on the wall.

“You have your wine cellar. This is what sold me,” she says with a wink. She opens the cabinet to reveal a built-in dartboard.

Emily laughs out loud, nodding. “Yep, I can see that being a selling point for you. You’ll never get anyone to play with you, though.”

“Nope. But I can teach our kids how to play. That will be fun.”

“And dangerous,” Emily says with a raised eyebrow. “We’ll discuss that one.”

Wanda laughs at the two women. She then leads them over to a door off that room. She opens it to reveal stairs leading up. JJ precedes Emily up…into a 3 room in-law suite over the large garage. Emily is more than impressed. Francesca would have privacy and even be able to have her granddaughter over for a visit. Maybe even a male suitor, Emily thinks with a grin. The full kitchen would give her the chance to make her own meals if she desired time alone.

“Jen, I think you’ve outdone yourself,” Emily admits.

“The schools are really good around here, both public and private since we never really discussed which we’d want them to attend. The gated community makes it even safer and we  _both_   know why that’s important. A security system is already installed it would just need to be reprogrammed.” JJ takes Emily’s hand and pulls her away from Wanda for a bit of privacy. “I know I’ve sort of freaked out over the whole ‘Prentiss’ thing as we keep calling it but what you said last week was true: you have always lived within your salary for the most part. And only when it’s important do you dip into that fund. I think I get that now. Am I crazy to think that this place is worth dipping into the funds for?”

Emily smiles and gives her a gentle kiss. “Not at all, Jen. So tell me, do you want to keep looking?”

JJ slowly shakes her head. “I can’t explain it, Em. This place just  _feels_  right. It feels like it could be our  _home_.”

“I agree,” Emily tells her gently. She turns to Wanda. “We’ll take it. Any chance we can close on it after Jan 1.”

JJ looks confused. “Why after January first?”

Emily and Wanda answer simultaneously. “Taxes.”

JJ laughs, then grabs her face in pain. “Ouch. No laughing. Ouch.”

Emily smiles and pulls her close. “Welcome home, Mrs. Prentiss.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Prentiss.”

Wanda promises to have the papers drawn up and ready for them by Saturday. Emily drives JJ home then heads back to work, arriving 17 minutes late. Straus stands in the hallway, sneering at Emily. The profiler rolls her eyes.

“I’ll stay a half hour late to make up the time, ma’am,” Emily says, thinking the woman is more like a headmaster than a section chief.

Reid looks at Emily. “Why are you late? Is JJ okay?”

Emily smiles. “She’s fine. We bought a house.”

“Ah, okay. I—wait, what?”

Morgan had looked up at the nonchalant announcement that had stunned the genius into silence. Emily laughs at them both.

“Jen found a place she liked and took me to see it. We should have the paperwork finished on Saturday and own it after the new year.”

Morgan stands and offers his hand. “Congrats, Prentiss! And if you need any help with painting or anything let me know.”

She shakes his hand. “You got it.”

Reid stands and squeezes her arm. “That’s great, Em. I can’t wait to see it.”

Emily smiles and sees Straus coming into the bullpen. “Uh, I better get to work. I’m already in trouble for being late. Don’t want to get in trouble for distracting you guys.”

The three profilers get to work, hoping whatever bug is up Staus’ butt dies and stops spoiling their afternoon.


	11. Chapter 11

At about 4:30 Emily’s phone rings. She sees an unfamiliar number on the caller ID.

“Prentiss,” she answers.

“Is this Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Behavioral Analysis Unit?” a polite woman asks.

Emily raises an eyebrow at the rather specific question. Thinking she is about to get served over the phone she replies cautiously. “Yes.”

“I just wanted to thank you for correcting Detective Taylor’s work.”

It takes Emily a second to remember the name. He was the one with the potential female serial killer. A knot starts to tie in Emily’s stomach. She throws a pencil at Reid. “Well, I’m glad I could help. What exactly did I do right?”

Reid looks at her with concern. Emily mouths “trace this” to him. He immediately calls Garcia, knowing she’ll know better than anyone else exactly what the team will want.

“You pointed out to him that I couldn’t have killed that last woman they wanted to attribute to me. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m sure she deserved to die but I didn’t do it. In fact, I believe they are arresting her ex-boyfriend for it. He’s a crime scene investigator. Little bastard.”

By now Morgan has contacted Hotch. Emily’s sees her boss’ line light up and knows he is now listening in to the call.

“I’m glad he’s been caught. But how exactly did you get this number?”

“Oh, I got it from Detective Taylor. And I’m sure by now you’re tracing the call. I’ll save you some time. It’s his phone. But it’s okay. He’s not going to need it anymore.”

Emily slumps back in her chair, her only outward sign of distress. “I see,” she says calmly. “And since you know my name, can I know yours?”

The woman gives a childlike laugh. “Oh, I think not. But perhaps we could meet.”

“I’d be all for that. Name a time and place.”

“It won’t be that easy, Agent Prentiss. I promise, you won’t see me coming but I will come. You’ll be number 8 for me.”

“I hate do disappoint you but I’m not a blonde,” Emily tells her, hoping to keep her on the line for GPS trace.

“Oh, that could be changed with a bottle, Agent Prentiss,” the woman points out. “And as point of fact…Detective Taylor wasn’t my type either. I don’t mind making exceptions for special projects.”

Before Emily can respond the woman hangs up. She slams her phone down.

“ _Please_   tell me we have her location!”

Reid nods. “Garcia tracked the GPS on the phone and we’ve already called the locals.”

Emily stands and starts to pace. “She killed him. Because of my profile. She killed him.”

Morgan stands. “Prentiss, you know you can’t think that way.”

“BULLSHIT! Morgan, if he’s dead it’s because he released the information I told him to release. Fuck!” Emily kicks the side of her desk.

“Prentiss,” Hotch says from behind her. “You know as well as I do that there are risks involved with what we do. Whether it’s in the field or in situations like this that put cops lives’ in danger. We can’t control the unsubs. We can only control the profiles.”

Emily leans on her desk. “I…I know that, Hotch. But she’s made this personal.” She slowly looks up. “She fucking called me to taunt me and threaten me, Hotch. And you know as well as I do that the taunt is what mattered to her. She may  _never_ come after me but she knows I will think about her all the God-damned time and I will think about a dead detective that I never even met in person.”

He steps closer, memories of Foyet in everyone’s mind. “I know, Emily. I’ll call Detective Taylor’s boss. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

Emily nods. “Thank you for not making me beg,” she says quietly.

“No problem,” he says kindly.

She is still pacing an hour later when Garcia walks in, her face a mask of devastation. “They found him. She was gone. I’m sorry, Emily. I didn’t get the information in time.”

Emily reaches out and squeezes her arm. “You did the best you could, Penelope. And I know we can count on you to help us catch her.”

* * *

 

Forty-five minutes later, Emily walks in her front door. She finds Francesca in the kitchen. She walks up close, whispering to her.

“We have a case. We leave tomorrow morning.”

Francesca lays a hand on Emily’s arm. “We’ve been planning for that, cara. I’ll stay in the guest room while you are gone.”

Emily smiles her thanks, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. She heads upstairs to find JJ lying on the bed. All it takes is one look for JJ to know something is seriously wrong with her wife.

“What’s wrong?”

“Bad day at work,” Emily replies and sits down beside her.

“How bad?”

“Oh, you know, the usual. Read some case files, wrote up some profiles, had a serial killer call and threaten my life after killing the lead detective I sent a profile to. No big deal.”

“WHAT?!” JJ sits up beside Emily, taking her wife’s hand. “Okay, once more with real details.”

Emily takes a shuddering breath and tells JJ about the earlier profile and the call that she had gotten from the killer. As she finishes, she looks into JJ’s eyes. “We’re heading up there tomorrow. I’ve already let Francesca know and—”

“Whoa! Wait a minute! You’re going to her? You’re actually going to try to track the woman that threatened your life?”

Emily stares at JJ. “Jen, you of all people know the job.”

JJ gets up and starts to pace. “Yes, I do. And I also know you have an injured wife and a son who has been sick. And now you’re going after—”

Emily stands and stops JJ’s pacing, anger replacing fear. “Don’t, Jen! Don’t start treating me like I can’t do my job. There’s no way in hell you would let me do this to you don’t you dare do it to me.”

JJ stares at Emily a minute. Her shoulders finally sag. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s the same kind of shit I got mad about in Florida. You’re a trained FBI agent and you have the best damn team to back you.” She pulls her into a hug. “I’m just upset because I won’t be one of the ones there.”

Emily relaxes into the hug. “I know, Jen. If it makes you feel better, I’m not her type. She likes green-eyed blondes. Or dislikes them, I guess is more the thing.”

“But I’m pretty sure the detective she killed wasn’t her type, either.”

Emily shivers as her wife reiterates what the killer herself had said. “Jen…I need you to hold me tonight. Please?”

“You don’t ever have to ask for that.”

JJ pulls Emily close, willing as much strength of her own to bind to Emily, to help her get through this case safely and quickly.


	12. Chapter 12

By Saturday afternoon, the team has an eighth dead woman and Emily has had 2 more taunting phone calls. As they stand at the murder scene, Emily whispers to Morgan.

“She’s watching me. I can feel her.”

Morgan nods. “I sense it, too. The cops are taking pictures of the bystanders. We’ll get them to Garcia.”

Emily nods. “Is she…is she dead because of me, Derek?”

Morgan turns and looks at Emily. For the first time he can remember, he sees doubt in her brown eyes. “Emily, you know the answer to that. But I’ll tell you since you need to hear it: She is dead because a bitch killed her. Nothing you did or didn’t do created this.”

She slowly nods and looks into his eyes. “Thank you.”

She approaches the woman and squats down beside her. The smell of death and rubbing alcohol assaults her senses. There are ligatures marks on the woman’s legs and wrists. Bruising on her thighs insinuates rape. Emily shakes her head.

“She’s not just raping them with a foreign object. She’s actually using a strap on. Could be the unsub is a lesbian or someone struggling with her sexuality,” Emily suggests.

Morgan nods. “Could be.”

Emily’s phone rings. She checks the caller ID and sees it is another unknown number. She allows it to ring again, knowing Garcia had a program set up to snag any calls made to Emily’s phone.

“Prentiss.”

“She was beautiful, wasn’t she? You know she had two kids?”

Emily slowly stands. She scans the crowd, looking for someone with a phone to their ear or a Bluetooth on. “We didn’t know that yet. Do you happen to know her name?”

“Yes. But it will cost you to get it.”

Emily glances at Morgan and sees he is on the phone, most likely with Hotch. “I’ll pay the price.”

Morgan looks sharply at Emily. “Hotch, Emily just said something I really don’t like.”

“We got her, Morgan. Turn away from her as if you’re looking anywhere but at her. Garcia, patch Prentiss’ phone into the earbuds.”

“Yes, sir,” the analyst answers.

The unsub continues to talk to Emily. “Your little friend is awfully chatty. Good. Will give us a chance to get to know each other. Walk south down the block, Agent Prentiss.”

Emily does as instructed, knowing her entire team is now listening to her call. “Okay, I’m walking. Where am I going?”

“I’ll let you know when you get there.”

“So, is this a date or what? If it is, I should let you know I’m happily married,” Emily says dryly.

“A date? Not exactly. More like a quick ‘fuck ‘er and forget ‘er’ meeting.”

“Ha! In your dreams. I’m a federal agent. You really think I’ll be as easy to kill as a junkie or a student? And I guarantee, you’ll never get the chance to rape me.”

“You seem sure of yourself. Yet look around, you’re all alone, Agent Prentiss.”

“I don’t need help to take down a coward,” Emily tells her. To herself she thinks, “ _Guys, you better have my back_.” She is now on a part of the street with no streetlights. Looking around she sees that she really is alone. The crime scene is now two blocks behind her.

“Turn left, Agent Prentiss.”

“If you insist,” Emily says as she turns down an alley. The hair on the back of her neck stands up. “This alley stinks. Not exactly the best place for a romantic encounter.”

“Are you expecting dining and dancing before you die, Agent?”

“No need to be formal. If this is a date, call me Emily.” Emily reaches the end of the alley.

“Turn right, Emily.”

Emily turns and starts up the next street, holding an internal monologue. “ _Garcia, I hope to hell you’re telling them where I’m going. This is not good and Jen will kill me if this bitch gets the drop on me_.” To the unsub, she asks a question. “So, why the blondes with green eyes? Bad break-up or what? I mean, obviously you love to strap it on and rape them. Did they not like it that way when you were dating or what?”

The woman laughs. “You’re trying to make me angry, Emily. It won’t work. You see, I have no reason to be angry. Stop and look across the street.”

Emily stops and looks across the street. She sees someone standing in the shadows. Her eyes narrow, trying to make out if it’s a woman or not.

“So, are we finally going to—UNGH!”

A glass bottle is smashed on Emily’s head. She drops her phone, hearing it shatter against the ground. As she drops to her knees, her head swings forward. She feels liquid flowing over her head and neck. If it weren’t for the chemical smell, she would assume it was blood. As she starts to her feet the chemical fumes hit her eyes, blurring her vision. She feels someone grab her wrist and pulls away. As she does, some of the liquid running down her head ends up in her eyes.

“Now, now, Emily. Don’t fight me. I’ll be the best you ever had. Even if you live, your husband will never be able to satisfy you the way I will.”

Emily is wiping at her face, trying to get the chemicals out of her eyes. She wants to pull her gun but is scared she could shoot her team when they arrive. And she  _knows_   they will arrive. They have to.

An arm wraps around her neck and she feels her gun get pulled out of its’ holster. The barrel is placed against her temple and the hammer is cocked. She stops struggling.

“Good girl. I mean, I like it rough sometimes but I think I’d rather take my time with you. We just have to give the dye some time to work and you’ll be practically perfect. Tell me, do you have green eyes?”

“Sorry to disappoint. They’re brown,” Emily tells her through gritted teeth.

“Well, they’ll probably be swollen shut anyway from the looks of things. So, how about we—”

“Vicky Waddell: drop your weapon and put your hands in the air.”

If Emily could see him, she’d blow Aaron Hotchner a kiss. She grunts as she is spun around by her captor. Her eyes are still useless but she can see enough to see 4 figures standing not far away. She knows it is Hotch, Morgan, Reid and Rossi and she knows their guns are aimed her way.

“ _Come on, guys, give me a signal_ ,” she pleads mentally.

“You drop YOUR weapons! I’ll kill the bitch, I swear!” The gun is pressed tighter to Emily’s head.

“You shoot her, you drop a second later. She dies a hero,” Hotch says.

“I’d love to be a hero,” Emily states. “Get the full honors burial, right?”

“Sure do. 21 gun salute and everything,” Hotch confirms.

“Shut up! She don’t want to die! She don’t! So drop your guns.”

“Hotch, can you make sure the casket is carried by six agents? And make sure that hottie Morgan is on the right hand side.”

“I think he’d be better on the left,” Hotch says.

Emily nods. “Good enough.” She stomps down on Waddell’s instep. As the woman reacts to the pain, Emily spins to her left. She hears a gun go off and Waddell grunt. A second later hands grab her shoulders.

“Easy, Emily,” Reid says.

“She smashed something on my head, Reid. My eyes are fucked.”

“Uh, yeah. Looks like hair dye.”

“Shit. I was afraid of that.”

Twenty minutes later Emily’s eyes are getting a chemical wash out. When it’s done, they are sore and bloodshot but she can see. She looks up at a concerned Reid. “So, uh, do I want to see a mirror?”

He can’t help but chuckle. “Probably not.”

“Great. Waddell?”

“Dead. Morgan got her in the chest.”

“Good riddance. Let me see your phone a second.”

Confused, Reid hands his phone over. Emily holds it up and snaps a self portrait. She looks at it and sees her hair is platinum blonde in a splash pattern from the crown of her head forward. She shakes her head.

“Do you know how much it’s going to cost to fix this? Son of a bitch.”

Reid just chuckles. The rest of the team walks up. Emily smiles at them. “Thanks, guys.”

“Nice cue to us, Prentiss,” Hotch tells her.

“Just glad we were on the same page,” she tells him with a grin.

* * *

 

At just after 2 a.m. Emily opens the door to the condo. She is surprised to see a light on in the living room. She drops her go bag on the floor as JJ gets up from the couch. JJ stops short.

“Oh my God!”

Emily runs a self-conscious hand through her hair. “Uh, yeah.”

JJ walks closer. Her eyes move from Emily’s hair to her face, which is still red from the chemicals, her eyes still bloodshot and red-rimmed.

“Oh, baby.”

“I’m okay, Jen. I promise.”

JJ pulls Emily into a hug. She can tell how tired her wife is but she is still surprised to feel the tremble.

“I love you, Jennifer. I’m sorry I had to put myself in that position. I swear I am. But we had to draw her out. And the guys had my back. They did. Really.”

JJ smiles. “I know, sweetheart. It’s just the job. I get it. I promise.” She leans back and looks into Emily’s eyes. “Let’s get you to bed.”

Emily just nods and lets JJ lead her upstairs. Before JJ can lead her into the bedroom, Emily detours to the nursery. She looks down into the crib at the sleeping boy. She strokes a hand down his back then leans over and kisses his head.

“I love you, Henry.”

JJ smiles and runs a hand up Emily’s back. “He missed you. Listening to his lullaby on CD isn’t the same as hearing you sing it.”

“I miss singing it to him.”

Emily lets JJ lead her to the bedroom. JJ can see Emily is nearly asleep on her feet. She carefully undresses her wife, checking for any other injuries. By the time she is done, Emily is practically asleep. JJ guides her under the covers then quickly undresses. She climbs in the bed and pulls Emily close.

“I love you, Mrs. Prentiss,” she whispers. Her only answer is a snore. She smiles and kisses the top of Emily’s head. She could have lost her tonight but the Fates had brought her home instead.

Well, the Fates and the best damn team the FBI has ever seen.


	13. Chapter 13

It is after 11 before Emily comes downstairs the next morning. Henry looks up from his play mat. He smiles at his Mama. When she picks him up to give him a hug his eyes get wide as he sees to top of her head.

“I know, Champ, not my best look, right?”

He holds up several locks of blond and black hair, studying it as if he is trying to figure out what the heck his Mama has done. He finally looks at her and starts laughing.

“Gee, thanks. Glad to have your support, Shorty,” she grins.

She sets him back down and joins JJ and Francesca at the kitchen table.

“Emily, I really think you should reconsider the new hair do,” Francesca says with a wink.

Emily turns to JJ. “Go ahead…get your shot in.”

JJ smiles innocently. “Who me? Would I pick on you for going through a punk phase again? Never!”

Emily rolls her eyes. “Right. What was I thinking?” She pulls out her phone and scrolls through until she finds the number she needs. “Celia? I need an emergency hair cut. Or dye. Or something.” She listens a second. “Trust me, it will be easier for you to see it than to have me explain it.” She nods. “Two? Perfect! See you then.”

Henry starts to fuss. Emily stands to get him but Francesca tells her she has him. Emily gratefully accepts the help as she’s still tired. As Francesca takes Henry upstairs to change him, JJ moves to sit in Emily’s lap.

“How you doing today?”

Emily leans her head on JJ’s shoulder. “Okay, I guess. I can’t help but think he died because of my profile and my suggestions. And that last victim was to draw me out. It’s never felt this personal before.”

JJ lifts Emily’s chin. “I’m sure they’ve told you this but I’ll say it, too. _He_   died because she killed him. _All_   those women died because one woman wanted to kill them. Honey, she wanted to kill _you_ , too. That makes it personal to _me_. And I’m damn glad you’re sitting here and she’s in the fucking morgue.” She kisses Emily. “Henry and I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”

Emily smiles and it actually reaches her eyes. “I love you, Jen. I don’t know what I would do without you two, either. You both are my world.”

She pulls JJ close, drawing strength from their love, letting it lead her back to solid ground emotionally. Just as she wonders if it would be possible to just sit there forever, someone knocks on the door.

“I got it, babe. Get yourself a cup of coffee.”

Emily nods. She considers just doctoring the whole pot. She hasn’t slept well since Waddell called her. For all agents and cops, there is always a case here and there that hits them harder than others. This is the one that will hang with Emily for a while. She takes a large gulp of coffee and then spits it as a voice hollers behind her.

“OH DEAR GOD! YOUR HAIR!”

For someone with already frazzled nerves, the ambassador’s exclamation is too much. As she watches the spewed coffee drip down the wall, she takes a few calming breaths. She slowly turns and glares at her mother.

“Mother, it wasn’t by choice.”

Elizabeth stares at the dual colors, her eyes wide with shock. Finally she looks down at Emily’s face, which still shows redness from the chemical burns.

“Oh, Emily…your face.” She walks over and gently strokes Emily’s cheek. “Baby, what happened to you?”

Her voice is so gentle, so caring, so motherly the tender hold Emily has on her emotions breaks. Her hand shakes as she puts her coffee mug on the counter.

“I…she…we were…” her voice cracks.

“Oh, sweetheart.” Elizabeth pulls her tall daughter into a hug as sobs wrack her body. “Shhhh…there, there, I’m sure it will be okay. You’re safe now, Emily. You’re safe and Jennifer’s safe and Henry’s safe. Everything will be okay, my sweet girl. Everything is just fine.”

JJ had quietly left them alone. She had never seen Emily breakdown this way and thinks it may have a lot to do with her mother’s concern chipping away another wall in their relationship. After a few minutes, Emily regains control of her emotions but lets her mother continue to hold her.

“Do you want to talk about it, Emmy?” Elizabeth asks.

“No. Not really. It was just…it was bad, Mom. I mean, there’s been worse but this one was just too personal. It hurt more. It still does.”

“I’m sorry, Emmy. I really am.” She kisses Emily’s cheek and wipes away a tear streak. “I love you.”

Emily takes a deep breath. “I love you, too, Mom. Thank you.” Emily leans back and looks in her mother’s eyes. “You…you haven’t called me ‘Emmy’ since I was little.”

Elizabeth smiles at her. “You haven’t needed to be called ‘Emmy’ since you were little.”

Emily chuckles. “That’s probably true. I was always a bit headstrong.”

“A bit? Yes, and the Pyramids are a little tall,” Elizabeth teases. Emily grins. “Can I assume you’ve made an appointment to get our hair color back?”

“Yes, Mom, I see Celia at 2 to try to get our hair back. Heaven forbid we don’t match,” she jokes.

“True. We’ll look much better next weekend if we actually look like we are related.”

Emily frowns. “What’s next weekend?”

Elizabeth stares at Emily in shock. “Please tell me you’re kidding. Please tell me you and Jennifer have your dresses.”

“Dresses? Dresses for wh—” and then she remembers. “Oh, crap! Is that next weekend? Really? Already?”

Elizabeth sighs. “Yes, it’s next weekend. It’s the same weekend every year, Emily.”

“Crap. I know. I just…it’s been a hell of a year, Mom. Did you know we bought a house? Well, we’re in the process of it. I mean, heck, I guess Jen got the paperwork for it yesterday. Shit. Did I mention it’s been a hell of a year?”

Elizabeth chuckles. “Well, I guess it has. And, yes, I knew about the house. I’m very happy for you, Emily. I am so happy that your life is what you’ve dreamed it to be.”

Emily smiles. “Actually, Mom, it’s exceeded my dreams.”

“Even better. Look, why don’t you take Jen with you to Celia and afterwards go shopping for dresses? I’ll stay here with Francesca and Henry.”

“Well, I don’t know if Jen’s up to it.”

“Up to what?” JJ asks as she walks back into the room.

“Next Saturday night is our annual Christmas Gala. Her father and I have hosted it for years now.”

“Oh, right.” JJ grins and whispers conspiratorially. “Emily complains about it every year.”

“Thanks, Jen,” Emily gripes good-naturedly.

“So, you want me to help her pick out her dress?” JJ asks Elizabeth.

“Well, you’ll need one, too, Mrs. Prentiss,” Elizabeth points out.

Emily grins. JJ looks like a deer caught in the headlights. “Me? But…that gala makes the society pages!”

“And?” Elizabeth asks in confusion.

Emily leans back against the counter to watch the conversation. Her spirits lifting as she watches.

“Well, I’m not…I mean…and I…I mean, my face alone…and I’ve never…” JJ stutters.

“And that grasp of the English language is why she’s such a great media spokesperson, Mom,” Emily jokes.

JJ turns and glares at Emily. “Honey, can we talk? Privately?”

Emily nods and follows JJ to the spare bedroom. Emily gives her mother a wink. Elizabeth just chuckles. Emily closes the door and turns to find her wife pacing.

“Even if my face didn’t look like I ran into a brick wall, I couldn’t go to that thing, Em! I mean, geez, what the hell would I talk to politicians and business leaders and other notables about? I can see it now, some guy will tell me how he just earned the equivalent of a small nation’s yearly income and I’ll tell him how I helped find a serial killer who cut up kittens in his backyard! Geez!”

Emily steps forward and takes JJ by the shoulders. “Jennifer, I swear to you, most of the conversations at these things is a lot more boring and common than you’d believe. I’ll see people I see once a year, they’ll comment how good I look, I’ll tell them the same thing. We’ll shoot the breeze about common friends. That’s all. It’s just normal stuff. Only this year,” she pulls JJ close, “I’ll be able to tell them I married the most beautiful woman in the room and make them all jealous as hell.”

 JJ smiles nervously. “You make it sound so easy. But what about my face?”

“I am sure my mother knows a make-up artist that can help you with hiding the bruising if that’s what you want. Personally, I could care less about it. If anyone asks, I’ll tell them how you got hurt saving the country from a terrorist attack. Trust me: that will get you several rounds of free drinks at the open bar,” she promises with a wink.

JJ sighs. “I guess…this is part of being a Prentiss, isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so. Regretting it?” Emily asks worriedly.

JJ pulls Emily down into a kiss. “Never.”

* * *

 

“Damn, Em! You really fucked it up, didn’t you! Haven’t I warned you about those home bottle jobs?” Celia jokes.

“Ha, ha,” Emily says. “Serial killer slammed a glass bottle onto my head. She wanted to dye my hair to make it easier to kill me.”

Celia’s eyes widen. “No shit?”

“No shit,” JJ confirms, shuddering at the thought.

“Damn. Well, let’s see what we can do.” She starts to inspect Emily’s hair. “Do you know what she used?”

“Search of her home showed a home brew of chemicals,” Emily relates.

“Oh. She didn’t give up the recipe?”

“She didn’t live to,” Emily tells her flatly.

“Oh. Damn. Well, better her than you, my friend,” Celia states bluntly. After a few minutes, she walks around and looks Emily in the eyes. “You’re not going to like what I have to say.”

Emily sighs. “Please tell me I don’t have to stay two-toned?”

“No, we can get you solid. But, well, Em, if I dye the blonde black, you could lose your hair. Her shit fried your follicles. They need time to heal.”

Emily’s jaw drops. “So…I need to…go   _blonde_? No way!”

JJ sits up, offended. “Hey! What the hell’s wrong with being blonde?”

“Nothing, Jen, if you have the complexion for it. I’m so Black Irish I’ll look albino if I go blonde!”

JJ stares at her a moment then slowly nods. “Oh. Wow. You’re right.” She looks at Celia. “Are you sure there’s not another option?”

Celia slowly shakes her head. “Only a wig.”

JJ lets out a breath. “Well, Em, they say old married couples start to look like each other. Maybe we start with our hair?”

Emily slowly turns from the mirror to her wife. After a second she grins…and then starts to laugh. “Geez, Jen, people will think we’re one of those freaky couples that wants to look and dress alike.”

JJ gets a devilish grin. “Let’s really freak them out by choosing a weird dress and wearing matching copies.”

Emily blurts out a laugh. “Mother would have a coronary. A year ago I might have agreed!” She looks back at Celia. “Well, blonde me I guess. How long until we can go back to basics?”

“Well, judging from the damage I see, I’d say maybe by New Year’s. We’ll just check it weekly. I’ll give you a good conditioner to use to help refortify the damaged strands.”

“Okay,” Emily says. “Go for it.”

* * *

 

Two hours later JJ stares at the woman in front of her. “You look like an ice queen, baby.” She tilts her head to the side. “Kinda sexy.”

Emily gives a half smile. “Yeah?”

JJ raises an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah. I mean, I don’t want it permanent but…Wow.”

Emily runs a hand down her now platinum locks. “Still think I look weird.”

“You’ve been dark-haired your whole life. This is a major change. Think of it as your mid-life crisis,” Celia suggests helpfully.

Emily laughs. “Gee. Thanks.”

After paying, Emily drives them to a nearby boutique. JJ chuckles. “Do you know how many times Garcia has dreamed of going in here?”

Emily looks at JJ. “No. Should we call her to join us?”

“Big date weekend with Kevin. We’ll just have to taunt her about all she missed by playing with a boy instead of us,” she says with a laugh.

Two hours later, JJ steps out of her dressing room. She had tried on many styles and colors but is sure this is the one. She steps up on the little platform in front of the triple mirror. The sapphire gown brings out her eyes. With one wide strap over her right shoulder it accentuates her muscle tone. It hugs her curves in all the right ways and fits well but not so tight as to be uncomfortable. She is in love with it. The lady helping her nods.

“I think that’s the one, Mrs. Prentiss.”

“Me, too. Emily? I think I found my—”

Her voice breaks off as Emily comes out of her own dressing room. She wears a ruby red strapless gown. It also hugs her curves but has a slit on the right side from her ankle up to mid-thigh. With her new blonde hairdo, Emily looks like a dangerous femme fatale.

“Oh, Em…” JJ whispers, her eyes dark with desire.

Emily smiles at the reaction she gets. She shrugs. “New hair color makes me feel a bit…dangerous.” JJ just nods, still speechless. Emily walks up to her and studies her from foot to head. “Jen, you look stunning. Please tell me this is the one.”

JJ nods. “Yeah,” she squeaks out, still stunned by her wife’s overall look.

Emily smiles at the two women that had been assisting them. “I think we’ve found the ones we want.”

“Beautiful choices, ladies. Just wonderful. Shall I have them sent to the hotel?” one lady offers.

“That would be perfect.”

“And what about shoes?” the other lady asks.

“What do you recommend?” Emily asks.

Several styles are brought out for the ladies to try on with the gowns. Once the shoes are chosen, Emily and JJ retreat to their dressing rooms to change. As they leave, JJ finally thinks to ask a question.

“Where are they sending them?”

“We’ll stay at the Ritz that night. They’ll send the dresses there with the shoes and make sure they are pressed and ready for us. It’s part of their service.”

“Oh. Um, what about Henry?”

Emily turns and chuckles. “Jen, he’ll be with Will next weekend.”

“Oh. Right. I think I’m still a little out of it. I’ve never been offered wine while trying on clothes before.”

Emily laughs. “Once a year is all it happens for me. I’m more an off-the-rack gal, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t pretend your suits aren’t tailored.”

“Well, true…but I buy them off the rack and get them tailored mostly to hide my gun. It’s just easier than buying a larger size jacket.”

JJ thinks about it a moment. “Why the hell didn’t I think of that?”

Emily just chuckles. “Stick with me, kid, I’ll teach you all the tricks of the ‘Prentiss Circus.’ The fun is just beginning.”

JJ chuckles and takes Emily’s hand, still worried about the upcoming event but knowing she can handle it as long as they are together.


	14. Chapter 14

When they get home, Elizabeth sees Emily and drops into a chair. Emily laughs.

“What? You don’t like the Marilyn Monroe look, Mom?”

“It’s…it’s…it’s…” she looks at JJ. “Why?”

JJ chuckles and explains. She finishes with, “So it was go blonde or go bald. I think she made the right choice.”

Elizabeth slowly nods. “Well, I guess so. It’s just…a shock.”

“For me, too, Mom. I saw myself in the rearview mirror and scared the crap out of myself.”

Elizabeth chuckles. “What do you think Henry will think?”

“He’ll still love me…he’ll just think I’m Jen,” she says with a grin.

“I doubt that,” JJ says.

And later that night, she proves to be correct. Henry gets his story from Mommy and knows Mama is the one singing him to sleep.

* * *

 

As Emily and JJ head to bed, JJ wraps her arms around Emily’s waist. “I love you, Emily. I apologize now for any freaking out I do next week.”

Emily smiles and kisses her forehead. “Apology accepted even though I think you’ll be just fine.”

JJ runs her fingers through Emily’s hair. The former-brunette shivers at the stroke. She starts to step away before her hormones take over but JJ stops her.

“Don’t step away from me,” JJ whispers.

“I have to, Jen. God, I want you so badly and you can’t—Oh, Jen!”

JJ had brought a hand down to squeeze Emily’s breast. “I want you, Emily.”

Emily is having trouble controlling her breathing. “No…no stress…for you. No…racing blood pressure. No—OH!”

JJ has brought her head down and bites gently at Emily’s other breast, leaving a wet mark on the woman’s shirt.

Emily’s legs are shaking. “Jen…we…can’t… _you_   can’t…Unngghhh…”

JJ’s free hand has moved to the front of Emily jeans, cupping her through the denim. “I want to make love to my wife, Emily. I am   _going to_   make love to my wife.”

Emily can no longer fight. She lifts her shirt up and off. JJ brings her mouth to the front clasp of the bra. She looks up at Emily, whose eyes are black with longing. With her tongue and teeth, she undoes the clasp.

“Oh, Jen! So fucking sexy,” Emily moans.

JJ’s mouth latches onto one of the now free breasts. Emily wants to crush her wife’s head to her chest but knows she has to be careful of JJ’s nose. The frustration makes her more desperate. She is so focused on JJ’s face, she doesn’t notice that her pants have now been undone.

JJ pushes Emily’s jeans down. She trails her tongue down Emily’s stomach as she forces the jeans down to where they can be stepped out of. As she stands back up, she stares into Emily’s eyes.

“Lay down.”

Emily obeys as if in a trance. JJ stands beside the bed and slowly removes her clothes. She watches as Emily’s breathing becomes shallower, the more JJ is revealed. Finally the younger woman climbs on the bed, straddling her wife.

“I love you, Emily Prentiss.”

“I love you, Jennifer Prentiss.”

JJ rubs her hands over Emily’s chest, feeling the nipples harden below her palms. She starts to grind her center against Emily’s. Emily meets every gyration.

“Please, Jen. More. Please more.”

JJ slides down enough to allow her hand to slip between Emily’s legs. Emily thrusts up to meet it. JJ allows two fingers to enter her wife, loving the feeling of Emily’s muscles clamping down on them. She thrusts deeper, harder, faster. Emily meets every stroke. JJ adds a third finger and uses her thumb to massage Emily’s clit. She reaches back to Emily’s chest with her free hand, tugging, twisting and rubbing her nipples, back and forth, one after the other as her other hand continues to thrust. She stares into dark eyes.

“Do you know how badly I want to taste you, feel you come in my mouth?” JJ whispers.

And it sends Emily over the edge. She explodes, her body completely under JJ’s control. As she starts to come down from the high, she watches as JJ lifts her hand up and licks off Emily’s essence, moaning at the taste.

Emily comes again.

JJ slowly climbs off of Emily and lies down beside her. “I love you, Emily.”

Emily pulls her close. “I love you, too, Jen. Thank you for knowing how much I needed that.”

JJ kisses her shoulder. “I needed it, too. God, Em, it could have been anything in that bottle. I am so glad you’re okay.”

Emily rubs her arm. “Me, too. You and Henry give me a hell of a lot to live for. I will always fight to come back to you.”

“I know.”

“And as soon as the doctor clears you for sex I’m going to show you just how much you turn me on.”

JJ smiles. “I’ll hold you to that, babe. The horniness is worse than just after Henry was born.”

Emily chuckles. “I’m sorry, honey. So fucking sorry.”

“I know. Just make sure you’re ready for me, honey.”

Emily kisses her temple. “I’ll work out extra hard to build up my stamina. After all, there are still your little fantasies to think about.”

JJ slaps Emily’s stomach playfully as they cuddle up to sleep. JJ is happy to feel Emily relaxing, something she had been unable to do the night before.

* * *

 

Emily freezes as she hears the wolf whistle. Without turning around, she levies the threat.

“One whistle more, one comment, and you will find out I’ve been holding back in our sparring sessions, Derek.”

She slowly turns around…to find a smiling Spencer Reid.

“That was your whistle?” she says shocked.

“Yep. Turns out I’m as much a guy as Morgan, after all.”

Emily chuckles. “I guess so.” She runs a hand over her hair. “Waddell’s concoction damaged my hair. If I tried to dye it back it would have probably fallen out. So, I had to go blonde for a couple weeks while my hair heals. Looks crazy, doesn’t it?”

Reid studies her a moment. “Actually, it doesn’t look too bad. It’s different but it works for you. Kinda gives you an ‘ice queen’ aura.”

Emily nods. “That’s what Jen said. Still shocked me this morning when I saw myself in the mirror. I can’t wait to get back to ‘me’, you know?”

Reid nods, “I can understand that.”

“Holy White Queen of Narnia! Jeepers, Em! I knew married couples start to look alike but this is taking it too far!”

Emily shakes her head. “Good morning to you, too, Garcia. It’s temporary.” She explains it to the analyst who is staring at Emily’s blonde locks. Finally Emily waves a hand in front of the woman’s eyes. “Hey! Stop looking at me like I’m Medusa!”

“Oh, uh, sorry. It’s just…wow.”

Further chat about Emily’s hair is stopped when they hear Straus’ voice bellow through the bullpen. The three turn and look to Hotch’s office. They see Straus hovering at his desk.

“SHE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! It was irresponsible and reckless!”

Emily sighs. “I have a feeling that’s about me. I’m not letting Hotch take that heat alone.”

She heads towards her boss’ office. She knocks on the door and enters.

“But I wasn’t killed, ma’am. All I got out of it was a new hairstyle for a month.”

Straus and Hotch are stunned speechless. She would laugh if she didn’t know it would get her suspended by Straus.

“We knew she would be watching the dump site for me. We knew she’d have to taunt me. And we were fairly sure she’d try to draw me away from the scene. From the time she called, my phone was hooked in with Garcia and with the team. They knew every step she had me taking. As to getting hit from behind, that was my fault. She told me to look across the street and I did. Someone was there and I thought it was her. She got the drop on me. Thank God the team was there to get me out of her hands.”

Straus stares at Emily. She obviously wants to find fault in anything that was said or done. Finally she looks back at Hotch.

“One of these days the luck this team has is going to run out. You best hope it’s not a fatal occurrence.”

She storms past Emily. Emily lets out a breath and looks at Hotch. “Uh, hope you don’t mind me barging in. It just didn’t seem right for you to face that alone.”

“Thanks, Prentiss.” He stares at minute, then nods. “Looks good. But I prefer the brunette look.”

Emily smiles. “Me, too. Give me a couple weeks.

He nods and she heads out to her desk. She sees Morgan waiting for her. She raises an eyebrow, waiting for the joke.

“Emily, all I want to know is if it’s true,” he says.

She thinks for a minute. Does he know about her wanting to have a baby? Couldn’t be. Could it? “If what’s true?” she asks hesitantly.

“Do blonde’s really have more fun?” he asks with a grin.

She laughs, her mind straying to last night and JJ’s seduction. “I have to say Morgan…yes, yes they do.” She winks and sits down as he chuckles and heads to his own desk for the day.


	15. Chapter 15

Thursday morning JJ paces the doctor’s office impatiently. Emily reaches out a hand to stop her.

“Jen, you are going to up your blood pressure and get a nose bleed. Calm down. You’ve had no unusual swelling, no breathing issues, no pain. It’s going to be fine.”

“But if one little thing is wrong I don’t get cleared back to work. And damn it, I don’t want Straus to have a reason to look down on me or the team,” she grumbles. “I’m so pissed about this whole thing and I’ll be damned if I let her insistence on this surgery be held against us.”

Emily pulls her into a hug. “Baby, it’s out of your control. I know how much you hate that but it’s true.”

JJ doesn’t speak. She just takes the comfort Emily offers. She sighs, feeling her blood pressure return to normal. “Thank you.”

Emily smiles and kisses her cheek. “No need to thank me. It’s what I’m here for, sweetheart.”

Twenty minutes later they are leaving the office with JJ’s clearance to work…and have sex again. Emily’s not sure which makes her happier and let’s JJ know. JJ laughs.

“Trust me, baby. I’m happy about both and my happiness about one will definitely make the other  _much_  better for you.”

Emily pulls her close and nibbles her ear. “Think we can get a quickie in before getting to work?”

JJ pushes her away, her body heating up dangerously. “No! Be nice. You still need to let me know which of my drug induced fantasies you want played out,” she says with a wink.

Emily laughs. “Well…since we’ll be at the office…how about the sex on Straus’ desk one?”

JJ freezes. She slowly turns and stares at Emily. “I didn’t.”

Emily chuckles. “You did.”

JJ blushes. “Tonight. No more excuses. Show me the damn video tonight or I swear you are cut off for life.”

Emily laughs. “Yes, Mrs. Prentiss.”

On the entire ride to Quantico JJ is silent. And Emily knows it’s because she is searching her mind for any clue as to what else might have been said in the aftermath of the surgery.

* * *

 

At 3 that afternoon, Emily is paged that Will LaMontagne is down at reception. She is confused as he isn’t expected until the next day.

“Uh, send him up,” she says, worried he may have a case for the team.

“Actually, Agent Prentiss, he’d like for you to come down.”

“Just me?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Um, okay. I’ll be right down.” She hangs up and heads to JJ’s office. “Hey, Jen, Will is downstairs and needs to speak with me. Any idea why?”

JJ frowns. “No.” She stands. “Should I come, too?”

“No, he specifically said just me. I’ll see you when I get back,” Emily gives her a smile and heads out.

JJ follows as far as the door to her office. She watches as Emily heads for the elevators. “What the hell?” JJ mutters. With nothing to do but wait she goes back to her desk, attempting to concentrate on the budget justification report she has to complete by the following week.

As Emily exits the elevator she sees Will pacing near the reception desk. She smiles as she walks up to the handsome detective.

“Will. Hi. Did we know you were getting here today?” she asks with concern.

He gives her a smile. “Nah. But I finished up the case I was working on and my captain suggested I get out of town before another one popped up.”

Emily chuckles and nods. “Smart man. So, do you want to go up and see Jen and the guys?”

“Uh, in a minute. Is there someplace you and I can talk privately?”

Emily’s stomach knots. “Um, sure.” She walks over to the security desk. “Pete, can we borrow your office for a couple minutes?”

He nods. “Sure thing, Prentiss. Just don’t steal my cookies.”

She grins. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Unless they’re your wife’s famous chocolate chip ones.”

“I can deactivate your badge with one push of a button. Remember that,” he warns with a wink.

As they head into the office, they take the seats in front of the desk. Will pulls an envelope out of his inside coat pocket. Emily stiffens as she sees the name of a law firm in the return address spot.

“I have this aunt,” Will starts. “She loves Henry. And she means well. But she’s homophobic.”

Emily swallows. “ _Is he fighting us for custody_?” she wonders. “ _I’ll destroy him if he hurts Jen and Henry_ ,” she vows to herself.

Will, unaware of Emily’s internal musings, continues. “She’s made it clear to me that she thinks I should get Henry away from you two. Spews morality and shit at me every chance she gets. Last time I saw her, she told me that if anything happens to me, she’s going to fight to get custody of Henry. She’ll file in Louisiana, and well, down there who knows what could happen.” He hands the envelope to Emily. “I need you to sign these in the presence of a notary.”

She takes the envelope. “What is it?” she asks stiffly.

“It’s a proxy. It states that should I die, my parental rights go to you.”

Emily is stunned. She slowly shakes her head. “Will, I can’t. It’s…it’s…”

“Emily, if I’m dead, the last damn thing I want is Henry’s life turned upside down by that woman. He loves you so much and you love him. Please, tell me you’ll sign this. I know with your money and your connections you could probably squash her in the courts but Henry would still be hurt by it all.” He takes her hand. “Please…for Henry.”

Emily squeezes his hand and nods. “I will. For Henry. But damn you for even hinting that something might happen to you. He needs you, Will. Don’t you dare die on him.”

Will smiles. “It’s definitely not on my bucket list.”

Emily chuckles and stands. “Come on. Let’s go see the in-house notary. And, Will, if…‘it’ does happen…I swear I will take care of him as if he’s my blood. And he will always know the man his Dad was.”

Will nods. “I know. And that’s why this is so important.”

The two head up to the woman that notarizes a lot of the documents in the building. Emily signs the three pieces of paper: one of her, one for Will, and one to be filed with his attorneys. Once they are done, she hands them back to Will.

“Thank you, Will, for trusting me with Henry. It means more than you know.”

The two head to the BAU floor. They find JJ pacing in her office. She glares at them.

“Close the damn door and tell me what the hell is wrong.” Emily shuts the door as JJ’s rant continues. “I have been up here imagining all sorts of reasons that you two would need to meet. I know it’s not an affair. And I don’t like the other two alternatives so I’m just going to ask: Will, are you dying or attempting to take Henry from us?”

Will chuckles and takes JJ’s hands. “Neither, JJ. I needed to make Emily aware of one of my final directives. And I needed her to sign the forms. I have an aunt that does not want to have Henry raised by lesbians. She’s sworn to fight for custody if something happens to me. We signed a directive that should I die, my parental rights go to Emily. That way my aunt can’t disrupt Henry’s life any more than it would be.”

JJ stares at him for a minute then pulls him into a hug. “Thank you, Will.” She then leans back and smacks his arm. “And how   _dare_   you insinuate something could happen to you! You know that’s bad luck for a cop!”

Will laughs and rubs his arm. “Yeah, I know. Trust me, it wasn’t something I wanted to consider but I knew it had to be done. Well, I know y’all need to get back to work. I’ll head to the hotel and pick up Henry tomorrow.” He smiles at JJ. “By the way, your nose looks great.”

She smiles. “Thanks. I’m just back to work today. Will, it’s completely up to you. I know you may want to rest but, do you want to get Henry today? I know you don’t get to spend much time with him.”

Will looks from her to Emily, who nods. He looks back, smiling broadly. “I’d really like that. Thanks.”

“I’ll give Francesca a call and let her know you’re on your way. This will also give you a chance to quiz her and make sure we chose a good nanny.”

“I’m sure she’s fine. Heck, Emily turned out mostly okay so she must have done something right,” he teases.

Emily laughs. “Thanks. I think.”

JJ walks Will out, offering to meet him at the airport to get Henry on Sunday so he can have even more time with his son. When she returns she smiles at Emily’s back. No, their family wasn’t exactly Norman Rockwell but it sure as heck worked for them.

* * *

 

That evening they arrive home to a quiet condo. There is a note from Francesca that she’s gone to Baltimore for the weekend to do the “touristy things” around the Inner Harbor. As JJ sets her briefcase down she smiles.

“Well, Mrs. Prentiss, we have the place to ourselves and I’ve been cleared to have—”

Her words are cut off as Emily’s mouth crashes into hers. JJ wraps her arms around Emily’s shoulders as the taller woman pushes her back towards the sofa. By the time they get there, Emily has JJ’s blouse open and her bra undone. As they reach the couch, Emily looks into JJ’s eyes.

“You wanted me to lean you over the back of the couch and take you,” she whispers huskily. “Tonight your wish is my command.”

JJ can only moan and capture Emily in another kiss as the profiler undoes the slacks JJ had worn to work. They slip straight to the ground. JJ kicks out of her shoes and the pants. By now Emily has worked the blouse and bra from JJ’s body. She grabs handfuls of breasts, kneading them as JJ continues to moan into their kiss.

Emily slides her hands down JJ’s sides to the tops of her underwear. She starts to kiss her way down JJ’s neck, to her breasts, to her stomach, the whole time pushing the red silk panties to the ground. JJ steps out of them as Emily places a kiss between JJ’s legs.

“Oh, Em, yes,” she chokes out.

As Emily kisses her way back up, she turns JJ around, placing her hands on the back of the couch. This puts her slightly bent over, her ass pressing back against Emily’s crotch. Emily kisses the back of JJ’s neck, flipping her hair over one shoulder and kissing along that shoulder. JJ writhes back against her wife as desperate for her touch as Emily is to touch her.

“Em…feels so good…” she whispers.

“I’ve missed this, Jen. I’ve missed being able to touch you,” Emily says as her left hand reaches around to cup a breast. “I’ve missed being able to make you scream.” Her right hand reaches around lower, just playing at the triangle of neatly trimmed curls. “I’ve missed being able to show you how much I love you.”

Her lips again latch onto JJ’s neck as her right hand dips further, just teasing JJ’s clit. JJ’s hips roll, eager to get Emily’s fingers where she needs them. Feeling Emily’s pelvis thrust against her ass she groans.

“Please, Em. Take me, please,” JJ begs.

As Emily thrusts her hips forward, she buries her hand into JJ’s wet folds. Her mouth continues to kiss along JJ’s neck, her left hand continues to caress the breast in her hand. Her hips and right hand move faster, her fingers digging deeper as JJ’s thrusts speed up. It doesn’t take long before JJ’s body tenses in ecstasy.

“YES! LOVE! YOU!”

JJ’s legs give out as her muscles release from the orgasm. Emily catches her and lifts her up in her arms. She steps around the couch and sits down, cuddling JJ in her lap.

“I love you, Jen. I love you so much.”

JJ snuggles into Emily’s arms. “I love you, too, Emily. God, if all my drug-induced suggestions were this good don’t worry about showing me the video. Just show me like this.”

Emily laughs and kisses JJ’s temple. “As I said before, your wish is my command. Well…except for that one about Straus’ office.”

JJ giggles and kisses Emily’s neck. “Okay. That one we can skip.”


	16. Chapter 16

On Saturday morning JJ is getting her overnight bag packed for the big gala. Despite her brave words to the team on Friday, she is terrified of the event. She is so lost in the horrifying “what ifs” of the night she doesn’t sense Emily come up behind her. She jumps in fright as hands wrap around her waist.

“Shit! Oh…it’s you,” she mumbles.

Emily giggles. “Who else would it be?”

“I…uh…it’s just…”

Emily slowly turns JJ around and stares into her eyes. She sees the fright and brings her hand up to her wife’s cheek. “You’ll be fine, Jen.” She kisses her gently. “You’ll be the belle of the ball. I promise, I’ll be right there if you need anything. And if you’re still uncomfortable after the required initial appearance, we’ll retreat to our room. I promise.”

JJ leans into Emily, wrapping her arms around her waist. “What if I embarrass you or your parents?”

Emily hugs her tightly. “Never going to happen. Just turn on ‘media liaison’ mode when you get there. You’ll be fine, Jen. I believe in you.”

JJ leans back and gives Emily a small kiss. “Thank you.”

“Any time, mi amor. Any time.”

As they continue getting their things together, JJ looks at Emily in confusion. “Em, Elizabeth said she and Gerald had hosted this party for years. But they hadn’t seen each other in years. How did they avoid each other?”

Emily chuckles. “Politics, Jen. See, Father hasn’t been to the party in about 14 years or so. But since he and Mom never actually divorced, you know, that whole Catholic thing, technically they both hosted it even though he wasn’t there. It’s completely nuts and this year people will act as if Father has been there every year. It’s just the way these circles run.”

“It’s kind of sad,” JJ comments.

“Yes, it is,” Emily agrees. “The inside world of politics is a much darker, sadder, lonelier place than most people realize. And that’s part of the reason I’ve no desire to go into it.”

JJ slowly looks over at Emily and chuckles. “Yeah, because what we see everyday isn’t dark, sad or lonely.”

Emily grins. “Well, it’s a different sad, dark and lonely.”

JJ just rolls her eyes and goes back to packing.

* * *

 

At 4:30 JJ is luxuriating in the tub in their hotel room. She smiles as Emily stands at the sinks plucking her eyebrows.

“Had I known our hotel room was not like the FBI standard I’d have insisted on us coming last night.”

Emily chuckles. “Oh, did I forget to mention we have one of the suites. Silly me.”

“Right. Brat,” JJ says, sticking her tongue out at her wife.

“Want to call Garcia and brag?”

JJ laughs. “That’s cruel, Emily.” She pauses. “Hand me my phone.”

Emily rolls her eyes and hands JJ her cell. She then heads out to order a bottle of champagne to go with the cheese, fruit and crackers plate they had found waiting for them, courtesy of Gerald. Emily had no plans to get JJ drunk but knows a glass or two before going down would help calm the liaison’s nerves.

“HEY, EM!” JJ calls from the bathroom.

“YEAH?”

“GARCIA WANTS TO COME FOR BREAKFAST!”

Emily walks into the bathroom and takes JJ’s phone. “Sorry, Garcia, I plan to keep JJ naked and in bed until the last possible moment.”

“Oh, Emily Prentiss, you just suck!” Garcia pouts.

“I plan to be sucking quite a bit, actually.”

Emily hands the phone back to JJ, the laughter of the technical analyst ringing out of the phone.

“You are bad and evil, Emily Prentiss,” JJ scolds.

“And you love me for it, Jennifer Prentiss,” Emily says smugly as she heads out of the bathroom.

* * *

 

At 5:00 the representative from Harry Winston arrives. JJ slowly turns and stares at Emily.

“What the hell is he doing here?”

“He brought a selection of jewelry for us to look at. Pictures of our dresses were sent to them so they’ve put together several sets for us to choose from.”

“Emily, he’s from   _Harry Winston_.”

Emily nods. “Yes. And?” JJ just stares at Emily. Finally it clicks what’s going on. Emily looks at the rep. “We’ll be right back.” She takes JJ by the hand and leads her into the bedroom. “Jennifer, first of all, these will be on loan. My mother arranges this for us every year. Tonight you’ll see millions of dollars in jewelry and most of it is borrowed. Think of it as playing dress up. Didn’t you ever play princess as a kid?” JJ nods. “This is the grown up version of that game.”

“Sometimes it’s just so over-whelming,” JJ whispers.

Emily pulls her close. “I know. I should have said something sooner. I’m sorry, Jen. If you don’t want to wear anything they’ve brought I understand.”

JJ relaxes into the embrace. She brings a hand up and wipes away a tear that slips down her cheek. “I’m sorry, Emily.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Jen. I don’t want you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. I know how new and crazy this all must seem to you.” She rubs JJ’s back, trying to calm her down completely.

JJ finally leans back. “Promise me something?”

“Anything,” Emily vows.

“Just don’t tell me how much it’s all worth until after the party?”

Emily smiles and gives her a kiss. “I promise.”

Twenty minutes later JJ is looking into a mirror at the combination Emily had suggested. The diamond choker with sapphire tear drop would look beautiful and not overshadow JJ’s cleavage. Her hair is going to be done in a classic up-do so the matching diamond and sapphire dangling earrings would be easily seen. She turns and looks at Emily.

“It’s perfect, Em.”

Emily smiles. “I agree. And you’re okay with it?”

JJ chuckles. “I am. I’m a Prentiss, after all.”

“Yes, honey, you sure as heck are,” she gives her a kiss.

* * *

 

The beauty of their suite is that it had two bedrooms. It allowed the women to get ready at the same time, including their hair and make-up and then surprise their spouse with the finished product, so to speak.

Emily is the first to walk out into the main room. Her ruby red dress is accessorized with black diamond earrings and a caftan diamond necklace. A diamond wrist cuff completes the look. With her blonde locks and sexily-slit dress, Emily has opted for a Veronica Lake style hairdo, leaving her natural waves to give her a very femme-fatale appeal.

JJ nearly falls over when she sees her wife.

“Fuck, Em…” she gasps.

Emily turns and her jaw nearly hits the ground. The dress, the jewels, the woman are all stunning. The make-up artist had managed to hide all signs of the bruising that remained from JJ’s surgery. She had even given JJ a special compact and showed her how to reapply the concealer if necessary.

“Jennifer, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you are the most beautiful woman I have ever known. If I wasn’t afraid of screwing up our make-up I’d kiss you.”

JJ grins, still somewhat self-conscious. “I know what you mean. I look okay? Really?”

“Absolutely stunning, Mrs. Prentiss,” Emily reiterates.

JJ smiles. “Then I’ll match my wife, who I happen to think is the most beautiful woman in the world.”

They take hands, squeezing their love to each other. Emily pulls away and picks up a black velvet box.

“There was a reason I told the jeweler not to send a bracelet for you. I bought this for you as an early Christmas gift.”

She opens the box to reveal a diamond tennis bracelet. JJ stares at it, then looks up at Emily.

“It’s…it’s beautiful, Emily.”

Emily smiles and removes it from the box. JJ lifts her right hand and Emily places the bracelet on her wife. She lifts JJ’s hand and kisses the back of it, smiling as she sees her lip print on the golden skin.

“There, now everyone knows you’re mine. I won’t have to wear my sidearm to protect my interests,” she jokes.

JJ strokes the back of Emily’s hand with her thumb. “No one would have a chance with me, Emily. You’re all I ever want.”

Finally love conquers the make-up worries. They share a passionate kiss. After touching up their lipstick, they grab their clutch purses and head down to the gala. Pausing briefly to get a Porter to snap a picture of them to email to Garcia. They knew she’d never forgive them if they didn’t.


	17. Chapter 17

At 7:30 JJ and Emily are standing with Gerald and Elizabeth greeting party goers. The first time JJ had shaken the hand of someone she had only read about her stomach had tripped. She had squeezed Emily’s hand for support. When she is introduced to people as Emily’s wife she is surprised no one seems shocked and mentions this to Emily.

“Jen, trust me, these people have people who researched every attendee here. You being my wife is not a surprise.”

“Oh that’s just weird,” JJ mutters. Emily just smiles and squeezes her hand.

“Come on, let’s go get a drink,” Emily says, leading her towards one of the bars set up around the room. They are nearly there when Emily is called away by a tall, silver-haired woman. “I’ll meet you over there, Jen. Trust me: you don’t want to hurt your ears listening to her.”

JJ just chuckles and heads towards the bar. On the way, she decides instead to just accept a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. She takes a sip and her taste buds explode. “Damn, that’s good!” She whispers. As she is people watching a voice she knows from many conference calls shocks the heck out of her.

“Good evening, Agent Jareau.”

She turns, her eyes wide. “Director Ryder, sir, hello.”

He smiles. “Please, tonight I’m Bill. And I guess tonight you’re Mrs. Prentiss.”

JJ blushes. “Uh, well, how about just Jennifer?”

“That works, too. I take it this is your first time at one of these events?”

She nods. “Yes, sir. Does it show?”

He laughs. “Not really. But you’re profiling the crowd and after a few of these you stop trying. Trust me.”

She laughs. “I can imagine.” She pauses. “Uh, so…you’re okay with Emily and me?”

“Jennifer, let’s face it, very few people understand the job the BAU does. You all put yourselves in the minds of some of the worst the world has to offer. And before you say you’re just a media liaison, I know you read every file sent to the BAU and have to decide where you all go and what just gets a consult. You profile as much, if not more, than the team.”

JJ nods and chuckles. “That’s what they keep telling me.”

“Anyway, I shared the initial concerns Chief Straus had. But after seeing how you two have handled yourselves in some of the worst situations I can imagine, I have no problem with the two of you together. And I wish you a very happy life together,” he says, offering up his glass for a toast.

JJ clinks her glass against his. “Thank you, sir…uh, I mean, Bill.”

“You’re welcome. Have a good evening, Jennifer.”

“You, too.”

As he wanders away, Emily walks up. She is rubbing her ear. “I swear that woman will damage my hearing so badly I’ll never recover.”

“What exactly is wrong with her voice?”

“If it got any higher only dogs would be able to hear her,” Emily explains.

“Really? She’s so tall that’s unusual.”

“So is she,” Emily jokes.

“Be nice, Emily. Santa won’t bring you any presents if you’re bad.” Emily just shrugs. “By the way, I just had a nice conversation with the director.”

“The director? As in the FBI Director William Ryder?”

“Yep. He caught me profiling the crowd and then wished us a long, happy life together.”

“Really?” Emily says in amazement.

JJ grins and nods. “We even shared a toast. Do you know how much I wish I could have gotten that on video and sent it to Straus anonymously?”

Emily laughs and takes JJ’s hand. “You might verge on evil sometimes, Mrs. Prentiss. I love it!”

* * *

 

Around 10 Emily is standing with her mother as JJ dances with Gerald. Emily nudges her mother.

“So, what’s up with you and Father?”

Elizabeth blushes, shocking Emily. “We’re…dating again.”

“Really? Mom, that’s great! Do I need to have a talk with you two about the birds and the bees?”

Elizabeth chuckles. “If we hadn’t figured that out you’d have siblings.”

Emily laughs. “You couldn’t have handled more than one of me.”

“That, my dear, is  _very_  true. Have I told you lately how happy I am to be getting to know you? You are a wonderful woman, Emily. And I love you very much.”

Emily has tears in her eyes. “I love you, too, Mom. And I’m glad to get to know you, too.”

Elizabeth wraps her arm around Emily’s waist. Since her posting to the BAU Emily had dutifully attended this affair each year. This is the first time she had actually spoken to her mother while there. She watches JJ dance with Gerald. Once again she is struck by the incredible turns her life has taken since she fell in love with Jennifer Jareau. She smiles.

“Excuse me, Mom. I need to go cut in on Dad.”

Elizabeth smiles as Emily goes out to dance with her wife. JJ is surprised at first but quickly recovers. The two beautiful blondes only have eyes for each other, though more than one man gets a stern look from his wife for staring too long at them.

When their dance ends, Emily is called away by her father to meet with someone he works with at The Vatican. JJ takes the opportunity to go to the ladies room. As she finishes touching up her lipstick an auburn-haired beauty steps up beside her. JJ immediately knows she is being sized up. She raises an eyebrow in the mirror, letting the woman know her scrutiny has been noticed.

“So you’re the one that finally landed Emily Prentiss,” the woman states.

“Landed her? What is she a jet?” JJ asks sarcastically. As a rule she doesn’t dislike someone on first sight but for this woman she’ll make an exception.

The woman smiles, though it is more of a sneer. “Well, what would you call it? You’re not exactly from her social circle. And everyone knows Emily only sleeps with women to irritate her parents. Marrying you was just a way to twist the knife a little deeper. I mean, sure you can put a fancy gown and diamonds on a mutt but it’s not going to win Westminster.”

JJ slowly turns to glare at the woman. Before she can speak, another voice cuts in.

“Cynthia, you need to lay off the bourbon. It’s making your horns and fangs show,” Elizabeth Prentiss states with no amusement in her voice.

Cynthia turns and stares at Elizabeth. “Elizabeth, nice party.”

“Thank you,” Elizabeth answers, very clearly looking down on the woman. She turns and gives a beautiful smile to JJ. “Jennifer, I’m glad I found you. I’d like you to meet Prince Sayed Ali.”

Cynthia’s eyes widen. “I…I had no idea he was here.”

“Oh, he’s only here briefly. And he wants to meet the important people before he leaves,” Elizabeth threads her arm through JJ’s and leads her out. Cynthia’s mouth gapes open at the backhanded insult.

As they clear the bathroom, JJ looks at her mother-in-law. “That was close to evil, Elizabeth. But I’m glad you intervened before I smacked her.”

“That woman is a bore and a social climber. How she has the gall to look down on anyone I’ll never know. You’re 100 times the woman she is, Jennifer,” Elizabeth says sincerely.

JJ is touched. “Thank you,” is all she can manage to choke out.

* * *

 

At 1:30 Emily opens the door to the suite. They smile as the Harry Winston rep turns off the TV and stands to greet them.

“Good evening, ladies. Did you have a good time?”

“Yes, thank you,” Emily says.

JJ sighs, and runs a hand over the choker she wears. “I guess I have to give it back now.”

Emily can’t help but laugh. “A few hours ago I thought you weren’t going to wear it.”

JJ chuckles. “It’s grown on me. Turns out diamonds really are a girl’s best friend. And sapphires are pretty dang good ones, too.”

Emily just shakes her head, amused by her wife’s change of heart. But since the special pieces were not for sale they can do nothing but give them back. As the rep leaves, Emily lifts JJ’s hand, fingering the bracelet.

“This one, my sweet, is yours to keep. I hope it’s enough.”

JJ nods. “More than enough. And in my opinion it’s worth more than all the rest combined.”

The two finally get to share a passionate, unfettered kiss. They hold each other close, their hands roaming their backs. As the kiss ends, JJ looks up into Emily’s eyes.

“Tell me, did any of my fantasies involve something like this?”

Emily slowly shakes her head and stares into deep blue eyes. “No. But I’ve had this fantasy many times. I’d bring a beautiful woman back up here. I’d undress her slowly, kissing each newly exposed bit of skin. I’d worship her body all night, making her scream in ecstasy, letting her make me scream. I’d love her all night long.”

JJ watches as Emily’s eyes go from milk chocolate to dark. She weaves her fingers into her hair and pulls her down into another deep kiss. As it ends, JJ drags her tongue along Emily’s top lip.

“Then tonight, your wish is my command, Mrs. Prentiss.”

Emily moans and leads JJ back to their bedroom. She kisses her deeply. She then turns her around to get to the zipper on the gown. She kisses the back of JJ’s neck, feeling the goose bumps rise on her wife’s skin at the contact.

As she slowly unzips the dress she does indeed kiss every bit of skin that appears. Once the zipper is all the way down she straightens back up and slips the shoulder strap off, letting the dress fall creating a sapphire puddle at JJ’s feet.

She kisses JJ’s shoulders and back, nuzzling at JJ’s neck and ear, feeling her wife shiver with desire. She brings her hands up and releases JJ’s hair, letting the golden locks cascade down around JJ’s face. She turns her wife around to look at her standing there just in a strapless bra and, be still Emily’s heart, a garter belt and heels. No panties…Emily nearly passes out when she realizes how JJ had managed to not interfere with the lines of the gown.

“You are so beautiful, Jennifer.”

“So are you, Emily.”

They kiss again. JJ’s body is hypersensitive, feeling every bit of Emily and her dress as it presses against her. Emily’s talented hands remove JJ’s bra, freeing the woman’s supple breasts. JJ starts to step out of her shoes.

“No. Leave them,” Emily husks out.

JJ moans, feeling herself get impossibly wetter. As they kiss again, JJ’s hand slides into the slit of Emily’s dress, pushing it up to her wife’s hip. As she roams around to the back she feels the thong below Emily’s stockings. She shivers. She loves when Emily wears a thong. Emily smiles, knowing JJ likes what she has discovered.

“Too many clothes. You’re wearing too damn many clothes, Emily.”

JJ steps behind her wife and quickly unzips the gown. Being strapless it peels down as she unzips, exposing Emily with each tooth of the zipper opened. JJ stares over Emily’s shoulder at the mirrored closet doors. Emily watches JJ’s face in the mirror, loving the desire she sees in her eyes and in the flush of her skin.

Once Emily steps out of the red puddle at her feet, she turns to JJ. She takes control back, kissing JJ deeply and pulling her body flush against hers. JJ uses the closeness to undo Emily’s strapless bra and let it fall to the floor. Emily lifts her own breast and offers it to JJ’s hungry mouth. Her hips thrust forward as JJ greedily sucks the offered treat, her teeth teasing the hardened nipple. Her hands grasp JJ’s butt, pulling her to meet each thrust.

Emily spins them and slowly backs JJ to the bed. As JJ reclines back against the pillows, Emily stares down at her. Golden skin against the white sheets. The garter belt holding up sheer stockings, sapphire 4-inch heels still on. JJ is a vision. Emily remains in her own heels as she crawls up the bed and settles her throbbing center against JJ’s.

“I love you, Jennifer Prentiss.”

She captures JJ’s mouth once more as she thrusts against her wife. One hand is full of gorgeous breast as the other helps lift JJ into each thrust. JJ wraps her legs around Emily’s waist, lifting herself enough that their clits collide with each thrust.

“Oh, God, Emily…so fucking good.”

“Jen, oh, Jen.”

Emily braces herself on the bed and brings her hand from JJ’s hip to between them. As she plunges into her wife’s hot, wet center her clit pounds against the back of her hand. Their thrusts become faster, their moans louder.

“Come for me, Jen. Come for me now,” Emily commands.

And with a roar JJ does just that. Her legs pull Emily tight to her, pushing Emily’s whole hand deep into her pulsing center.

“OH!” she calls out at the sensation, a second orgasm ripping through her as Emily fills her completely.

“Oh, fuck, Jen,” Emily mutters, her own orgasm crashing through her.

After a few minutes, JJ’s legs sag down to the bed. Emily carefully leans back, slowly extracting her hand from her wife. As she exits completely, JJ’s hips jump once more.

“God, Em…love you so damn much,” JJ breathes.

She rolls, throwing her unsuspecting wife to the bed. Before Emily can speak, JJ rolls on top of her. She kisses Emily and slowly works her way down. She pause at her wife’s chest, levying a barrage of kisses and nips to the flushed breasts that heave with desire.

“Oh, Jen, yes…” Emily whispers, her desire building impossibly higher.

JJ can feel how much her wife needs what JJ wants. She grins wolfishly as she kisses downward. She drags her tongue around Emily’s belly button, her own breasts pressing Emily’s hot center.

“Jen, please…I need you. Fuck me, please,” Emily begs.

JJ kisses lower, her tongue dancing over dark curls hidden by panties and stockings. She smells Emily’s essence and moans against her wife’s center. Emily gasps at the sensation. JJ sits up and slowly starts to peel the stockings and panties down Emily’s long legs. She makes sure her hands only lightly touch Emily, driving the woman mad for more. When she reaches Emily’s feet she pulls off the shoes and tosses them with a flourish. The thong and the hose follow the shoes. JJ scoots back up, lifting Emily’s legs over her shoulders.

“God, yes, Jen.”

“Are you mine?” JJ asks seductively.

“Yes, Jen. Always yours,” Emily answers.

JJ slowly lowers her mouth to Emily’s clit. She lightly trails her tongue over it. Emily whimpers at the tease. JJ smiles…and suddenly shoves her tongue as far into Emily as she can.

“YES! JEN! YES!”

Emily’s hips rock against her wife’s face as JJ devours her. As JJ feels the orgasm close, she replaces her tongue with her hand, also completely getting her fist into her wife’s core. Emily grinds on it as JJ sucks her hard clit into her mouth. After a few long, hard sucks an orgasm like she’s never had before rips through Emily’s body.

“JENNNN!”

Stars explode behind Emily’s eyes and she slips into blackness. JJ, extremely proud of herself, eases her hand out of her wife and crawls up beside her. She pulls Emily to her breast and holds her until she starts to come around again. As Emily’s eyes flutter open, JJ kisses her forehead.

“So, was it all you imagined, Emily?”

“Fuck no. Couldn’t have imagined that. God…Jen…wow…”

JJ chuckles. “That’s good, I hope.”

“Better than good. Damn. So fucking awesome. Jen, I love you so much and I love the way you love me.”

“I love you, too, Em. It’s never been as good with anyone. I’ve done things with you, wanted to do things with you, I’ve never even dreamed before. And it’s always, always amazing.”

Emily slides up enough to kiss JJ, her clit hardening as she tastes herself on her wife’s lips. JJ kicks off her shoes as Emily rids her of the last vestiges of her clothing: the garter and hose. They had thought they were ready to sleep…but their bodies have other ideas. It is nearly dawn before they finally give in to sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Emily and JJ are enjoying a late breakfast with Gerald and Elizabeth in the other Prentiss suite. Emily hadn’t been able to resist checking to see if both bedrooms had been used in that room. She wasn’t surprised to see only one bed mussed up. It is clear by the blush on her mother’s face that Elizabeth had seen the inspection.

As they sit down to eat, JJ smiles at her in-laws. “I really want to thank you both for everything. You’ve both welcomed me with open arms and hearts into this insane world you inhabit. I’m sure I looked like a deer in a headlight a few times, and maybe even looked star-struck a couple of times last night. And somehow all three of you could feel when I was struggling and were suddenly there with a lifeline. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

Elizabeth reaches across the table and takes her hand. “Jennifer, you are a gift to this family. We know that. I dare say we know you’re the reason we can be a family again.”

“I still haven’t figured out how a petite little thing like Jen could knock down so many brick and mortar walls that have stood for years,” Emily admits. “But I know I’m damn glad she did.”

“I think…you all give me too much credit. All I did was fall in love with a smart, amazing, wonderful woman. The rest you all did yourselves.”

Emily shakes her head. “Jen, how many times did you tell me to call my mother about something? How many times did you push us together?”

“Well, I…”

“And how long did you continue to text me after I ignored the first few hundred?” Elizabeth points out. “There were times I ever regretted bringing my Russian friends to your team.”

Emily sits back, startled. “Wait a second…” JJ is blushing. “Just how long have you been texting with my mother?”

“Well, technically, it was all pretty one-sided for a couple of years,” JJ says weakly. Emily raises an eyebrow. “Look, you know the relationship I have with my parents. I wanted that for you, too. And whether you knew it or not you were sad when your mother left after that case. I just…wanted to help. And somewhere along the way I fell in love with you. It wasn’t hard when I kept texting how wonderful you are.” She gives Emily a grin. “Maybe I gave myself Stockholm Syndrome.”

Emily stares at her a moment then starts to chuckle. “You dirty little sneak. You’re the reason for the pod person invasion.” She leans over and gives JJ a kiss. “Thank you…Pod Person Mother Plant.”

Gerald and Elizabeth laugh as JJ pushes Emily away. “We’re not pod people…as far as you know.” She says with a wink.

Gerald reaches out and takes Emily’s hand. “Well, regardless of the why or the how, I just want to say how happy I am to be back in your life, Emily. And in yours, Elizabeth.” He raises his cup of juice as a toast. “To the three beautiful Prentiss ladies. May I finally stop disappointing you all and may we truly be a family again.”

They clink their glasses together. Emily leans over and gives JJ another kiss on the cheek. “For the first time I can remember I actually enjoyed one of these galas. I have to believe it was because of the beautiful woman on my arm.” She looks to her parents. “And because for the first time I can remember both of you seemed happy. I hope that continues into the new year. May it be a new chapter in your life together.”

Before they leave, Emily pulls her mother aside to ask about something that was bothering her.

“Mother, did I miss them, or were the officials from the church not there last night? I know I didn’t get my usual lecture from Cardinal Finn about the evils of my life. Did he hear about my wedding and finally give up on me?”

Elizabeth takes Emily’s hand. “When you were 15 you needed the church and they weren’t there for you.” Emily is stunned. She had no idea her mother knew. “And recently Cardinal Finn called me to complain about me telling people you were married to a woman. It seems the church has no problem taking my money but it can’t accept my daughter. And that got me to thinking about Jennifer’s priest, the one who married you two. He and his church have welcomed you into their hearts. So, I’m converting to Episcopalian.”

Emily’s eyes are wide with disbelief. “Re—Really?”

“Really. Heck, they split from the Catholic Church so it won’t be too different. And I won’t feel like a hypocrite when I make my tithe.”

Emily stares at her mother a moment before pulling her into a hug. “I love you, Mom,” she says, her voice rough with emotion.

“I love you, too, Emily.”

* * *

At noon, Emily and JJ get to the Hertz lot at Reagan National. They see Will starting to unload Henry and his car seat in the just starting icy rain. Emily quickly pulls up beside him and hops out.

“Let me give you a hand, Will.”

He looks up and smiles. “Perfect timing.”

As they get Henry transferred to the Lexus, the little boy keeps up a constant stream of babble. Emily chuckles.

“Sounds like you had a good time with Daddy, Champ. I’m glad.”

JJ is looking up at the sky. “Will, if this weather doesn’t clear you may not be getting home. If your flight gets cancelled, you can stay the night with us if you want.”

Will nods. “I may take you up on that. I wouldn’t mind a—”

For the first time since he had shown up unexpectedly at Quantico on Thursday he takes a good look at Emily. JJ giggles as Emily rolls her eyes.

“Emily, when the hell did you go blonde?” he finally asks.

Emily starts to laugh as JJ’s giggles get harder. “Wow…it’s those observation skills that make you a hell of a detective,” Emily says dryly.

Will laughs. “Um, I guessing you had that dye job Thursday. Did I mention I hadn’t had much sleep in 3 days? And I was nervous about that legal thing.” He studies her for a minute. “I think I prefer the brunette but you don’t look too bad as a blonde. What did Henry think?”

Emily glances at their son. “He laughed at me. Of course, he saw me when it was two-toned.”

“Two-toned?” Will asks.

Emily lays the whole story out for him. As she finishes he shakes his head.

“I have enough trouble dealing with regular old crazies. I don’t know how y’all handle dealing with the mega-crazies that come through your department. I’m just glad the guys got to you in time.”

Emily smiles. “Thanks. Me, too.”

“Well, I better catch the shuttle over to the gate. I’ll let y’all know if I get stranded.”

“Okay. And you’ll still be in on Christmas Eve, right?” JJ confirms.

Will smiles. “I’ll be damned if I miss his first Christmas. I’ll be there.”

“Good.”

Emily and JJ give him a hug goodbye. He leans in and gives Henry a hug and kiss, promising to see him for Christmas.

As they drive home, JJ looks out at the sky. “I don’t think he’s going to make it home tonight. This doesn’t look like it’s clearing.”

“I hope his captain doesn’t hold it against him.” Emily thinks a moment. “Jen, I know he looked into moving up here when you all were together. Why didn’t he stay anyway? He could have been closer to Henry.”

JJ sighs. “He’s a Naw’lins boy,” she says mimicking his accent with a smile. “He would have made the move for us but I think it would have killed him. I think that’s why he took our break-up so well. He knew I couldn’t live down there any more than he could live up here. We were crazy to get as involved as we did.” She turns and looks at Henry, who of course had fallen asleep. “But I can’t imagine life without Henry so I have no regrets. It may be kind of nuts, but we’ll make this work.”

Emily takes her hand. “Yes, we will. And I’m glad to have Henry, too. I can’t imagine what our life would be without him. I love him as if he were my own, Jen.”

JJ smiles. “I know. He’s a lucky one. Three parents that love him unconditionally. Makes me sad when I see cases come across my desk to see a kid no one loves. It’s proof the world just isn’t fair sometimes.”

“I know. But that’s why we do what we do: to try to make it fair for everyone.”

JJ thinks about that a moment, then nods. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that.”

Emily smiles and raises JJ’s hand up to give it a kiss. They make the rest of the drive in silence, just enjoying being together.

* * *

 

“Oh. My. God! You had  _how much_   on your bodies?” Garcia asks.

“In borrowed jewels, the estimate was $1.2 million for the both of us,” JJ tells her.

“I’d have had a heart attack! I couldn’t have left the room!” Garcia exclaims.

Emily hands her a glass of Coke. “And that, Garcia, is why she didn’t let me tell her until after the party.”

“Yeah, but surely you guessed, Jayje!” Garcia says.

JJ chuckles. “I convinced myself they were fakes worth about $20 bucks. It got me through the night.”

Emily laughs. “Good way to do it. I was wondering how you made it without worrying yourself into a fit.”

Garcia flops back against the couch dramatically. “All those jewels and then ‘poof’ they were gone at the end of the night.”

JJ blushes. “Well, not all of them were gone.”

Garcia sits up quickly. “What? What did you keep. Oh my God! You stole a diamond out of the necklace, didn’t you? Oh, Jajye, you’re going to prison! I promise to visit you.”

Emily bursts out laughing. “Pen, the bracelet was a Christmas gift from me. Jen’s not going to jail…” she glances at her wife “…as far as I know.”

JJ makes a point of looking   _too_  innocent. The women all laugh. A second later Emily hops up as Henry crawls past them, aiming for the stairs.

“Sorry, Champ, we’re not that distracted.” He pouts as Emily picks him up. “Oh, wipe that frown off your face.” She gives him a raspberry on his stomach. He cackles and giggles, waving his arms excitedly.

“He’s getting so big and so fast,” Garcia says. “Before you know it he’ll be off to college.”

JJ turns and glares at her best friend. “Bite. Your. Tongue.”

“Aw, Henry, looks like Aunt Penny is in trouble with Mommy. She probably needs a hug from you, Champ.”

Garcia eagerly reaches out her hands to Emily. Henry sees her and reaches towards his fairy godmother. Emily gladly hands him over and goes to check on the pizzas that are in the oven.

“Oh, by the way, Pen…he needs changing.”

Pen’s grin fades and she turns to glare at a laughing Emily. “You are a bad and evil troll sometimes, Emily Prentiss. Bad and evil!”

“It’s the blonde hair,” Emily cracks, earning dirty looks from the two blondes in the living room.

JJ stands. “Come on, Pen. Us three natural blondes will go get Henry changed. We’ll let old bottle job over there deal with dinner.”

Emily winks at her wife as the trio heads upstairs. Yes, Emily’s life was well beyond what she had ever imagined. And every day she is thankful for her many, many blessings.


	19. Chapter 19

The next couple of weeks go fairly quickly for the team. The only person not quite in the holiday spirit is JJ, who is finding herself having to track down more and more reports from the profilers as their thoughts turn to Christmas parties, gifts and ski weekends. On this Friday, 1 week before Christmas, she has had enough. She marches into the bullpen.

“TEAM! CONFERENCE ROOM! NOW!”

Emily, Morgan and Reid hop up and hurry in after her. Rossi and Hotch, who had heard her holler from their offices, also hurry in, assuming it’s a serious case. Hotch closes the door behind him since he’s the last one in.

“What’s up, JJ?”

She takes the time to glare at each person individually. “Morgan, two. Reid, two. Emily, three. Rossi, four! And, you, Hotch, FIVE!”

The profilers and their boss exchange confused looks. “Uh, JJ, I think we need more information about this case,” Hotch says, slightly scared of the petite blonde.

When she speaks, her voice is eerily calm. It gives them all the shivers. “There is no case, Hotch. Those numbers represent the number of reports each of you owes me so I can clear my fucking desk before Christmas. I have asked. I have prodded. At times I’ve even pleaded with you all to get them to me in a timely manner. Now I have Straus breathing down my neck because I have files open she wants closed BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS TODAY!”

At her yell they had all jumped. Emily sits forward, looking ashamed.

“Jennifer, I’m sorry. I, uh, actually have them finished. I just forgot to give them to you. I’ll get them now,” she leaps up and is out of the room before anyone else can speak.

Morgan frowns. “Um, which ones are you missing from me?”

“The Waddell case and the St Louis consult.” She turns to Reid. “I need Waddell and your follow-up interview with Sally Smith.” She turns to Rossi who raises a hand to stop her.

“I know the four. Like Emily, I’ve just been remiss in getting them to you. I’ll remedy that now,” he says as he stands.

JJ finally ends on Hotch. She raises an eyebrow. “Do I need to tell you which five?”

He chuckles. “No, I’m afraid you don’t. I’ll get them to you by lunch. I swear.”

“Thank you.”

Morgan looks at Hotch. “I think it’s times like this we are reminded who really runs this department.”

Hotch raises an eyebrow. “You have no idea. You should see her in budget and justification meetings.”

JJ just grins. “Boys, go do your work and maybe I’ll bring in cookies next week.”

The guys chuckle and head out to get their reports done. As JJ gets back to her office, Emily walks in with two folders.

“I brought Rossi’s along with mine. Jen, I’m sorry. I really am.”

“You I can forgive…after you serve me wine and cheese in the hot tub and give me a good back massage tonight.”

Emily laughs. “Sure you don’t want to save that deal for Reid or Morgan?”

JJ laughs. “Not on your life…or theirs!”

Emily smiles and sets the folders on JJ’s desk. “So are we still on for shopping tomorrow? I think I know what I want to get Henry to open on Christmas morning.”

JJ is confused. “What do you mean to open on Christmas morning? Is there something he can’t open on Christmas morning?”

Emily blushes. “Shit. Um. Well, I’ll show you tonight. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

JJ rolls her eyes. “You don’t have to show me. Just make sure it’s not the same thing my parents or yours are getting.”

Emily smiles smugly. “Trust me. They won’t.”

As Emily returns to her desk, Reid looks at her. “Is she okay?”

“She will be. Christmas Eve is a week from today and it seems every time we think we can get our shopping done something comes up. If we don’t get it done this weekend we’re in trouble.”

Reid smiles. “I can’t wait for Christmas this year. I’ve never had a Godson before and I hope I haven’t gone too far overboard.”

Emily chuckles. “I’ve never had a son before and I know when it’s all over I’ll have gone overboard. But he’s worth it.”

Reid smiles and nods. “Yeah, he is.”

* * *

 

“OOOO! Emily! Look at this one!” Garcia squeals.

Emily turns and sees the cute outfit her friend is holding up. “It sort of looks like his ring-bearer outfit.”

It is a little suit with a red vest and green bowtie. The two women are trying to find an outfit for him to wear to Christmas Eve church service. JJ had taken Henry to change his diaper, leaving the other two to look for his clothes. It may be a decision she comes to regret.

“Look at this one for Christmas morning,” Emily says, holding up a little reindeer sleeper set, including a hood that looks like antlers.

“Ohhh! Too freakin’ cute! That’s a definite yes!”

Emily nods and sets in the “yes” pile…which includes about 15 outfits. She frowns. “Um, Pen, we only have two days to dress him for. We may need to narrow this down a bit.”

Garcia stares at the pile of clothes. “Hmmm…costume changes?” She suggests.

Emily considers that for a moment. “That could work. I mean, he could be a reindeer when he wakes up. An elf for breakfast. Santa at lunch. Formal dude at dinner.”

“Oh. My. God.”

Garcia and Emily turn to see JJ and Henry standing there staring at them. She looks from them to the pile of clothes and back. “How many kids are you planning to dress?”

“Um, well, honey, we were just discussing he could wear several outfits in one day and we would—”

“No. Emily, Penelope, choose 3 outfits: Christmas Eve church, Christmas morning, Christmas dinner.” Emily and Garcia look at each other, pouting. JJ rolls her eyes. “Oh, for Pete’s sake. You two are nuts. Three outfits. Total.”

Grumbling about JJ being mean and getting nothing but coal for Christmas, Garcia and Emily sort through the outfits. They settle on the suit, the reindeer outfit, and a jeans and sweater set. JJ nods.

“Good girls. Maybe I’ll buy you a treat since you listened so well.”

Emily and Garcia smile, not at all upset JJ is treating them three year olds. Emily goes to buy the outfits and Garcia walks up beside JJ.

“So, what did you get her?” she whispers.

JJ sees Emily is too far away to overhear. “She has been dying for an I-phone but just couldn’t justify the expense. And maybe considering how many phones we go through in this job she may be right. But I know she’ll love it so I got her one.”

“Awesome! Want me to help you find some good apps for it?”

“That’d be great! I was looking online at some the other day. Maybe you can help me figure out if they’re worth the expense or not.”

“Be glad to help.”

“Help what?” Emily asks walking up on them.

“Oh, uh, helping JJ put toys together. I love that kind of stuff,” Garcia covers.

Emily raises an eyebrow. “Riiiight. So, toy store?”

Garcia throws her hands in the air. “YES!” She grabs Henry’s stroller. “Come on, Godson, it’s time to have super fun!”

Emily and JJ laugh, following their exuberant friend to the toy store. Once there Garcia insists on taking Henry out of the stroller.

“We need to see what he really likes!” she explains, walking away with him.

JJ looks at Emily. “Will we ever see them again?”

Emily shrugs. “Well, if nothing else, they close at 10. We can wait out front until they get kicked out.”

Suddenly Garcia is in front of them. “Look! Junior Cop!”

Emily laughs. “I think he’s too young for that play set, Pen. He’s not even a year old yet.”

JJ takes away the costume for 3-5 year olds and puts it down. “Let’s go to his age range at least, Pen.”

They head for the toys geared towards 6 months and up. As Emily pushes the stroller past the bikes she sees the cutest blue bike for toddlers. Her mind suddenly flashes forward.

_“I can’t do it, Mama! Don’t let go!”_

_A little blond boy in a blue helmet wobbles as he gets on his bike without training wheels for the first time. His eyes are both terrified and excited._

_“Don’t worry, Henry, I’ve got you,” Emily promises._

_She keeps him steady, running alongside him as he pedals. She removes one hand, then the other._

_“Don’t let go, Mama!”_

_“I’m right here, Henry,” she tells him, her heart swelling with pride as he unknowingly pedals all on his own._

“EMILY!”

Emily jumps as she realizes JJ is trying to get her attention. “Um, sorry. What?”

JJ stares at her wife a moment. She sees the melancholy look on her face. “Are you okay?”

Emily finally grins, blushing slightly. “Yeah. Just…saw the bike and, well, kinda got to picturing Henry at 3 or 4 learning to ride for the first time. Silly, huh?”

JJ smiles, her heart skipping a beat. “No, baby. Not silly at all. Totally sweet and also pretty sexy.”

“Sexy? Really?”

“Oh, yeah. When you get all Supermom on me I find it totally sexy.”

Emily nods. “Good to know.”

“Come on before Garcia buys out the store.”

Arm in arm they head over to find Garcia and Henry playing with “Baby’s First Race Track.” Emily grins.

“That is cool! I think Santa might have to deliver that!”

JJ nods. “It will be great in the kid’s playroom. And look, there are extra tracks!”

Several boxes of tracks and the main kit end up on top of the stroller. Several types of child development toys join the track. As they start towards the check out, Henry lets out a huge squeal. The women look at him and see he is staring at a pile of teddy bears. Garcia smiles and carries him to them. He reaches out and grabs a black one. He hugs it to him and grins, waving at Emily.

“Do you like that one, Champ?” She walks over and he shakes it at her. She chuckles. “I bet Santa could bring one like that to you. I pretty much guarantee it.”

She eases it from his hands. He frowns and gives an unhappy wail. JJ chuckles.

“Was wondering if we were going to get out of here without a tantrum. Pen, can you take him out while Em and I pay?”

“Sure, leave me looking like the evil one picking on the kid,” she grumbles good-naturedly.

JJ smiles and joins Emily in the line at check out. They can hear Henry even though he is outside in the mall now. Emily looks at JJ.

“Why don’t you go help her? I’ve got this. Once it’s bagged I can put it back in the stroller.”

“You sure?”

“Very. Go on. Save Penelope.”

JJ heads out and tries to help Garcia calm the over-tired little boy. At the check out, Emily turns back and her eyes fall on the little blue bike. She bites her lip as she stares at it.

“ _It’s crazy_ ,” she tells herself. “ _He’s not even walking yet. But maybe by Spring he will be and we can…geez, Em, he’s not big enough even for it yet. It’s for 3 year olds_.”

“Will this be all, ma’am?” the clerk asks.

Emily turns and looks at him. “No. I also need that blue bike over there.”

He smiles. “Sure thing.” He calls to one of the stockers who retrieves the bike.

Emily pays for the purchases and the stocker helps her get the bike out to JJ and Garcia. JJ sees them coming and gets an astounded look on her face.

“Emily? A bike? Really?”

Emily just shrugs. “I’ll explain later. I had to, Jen.”

Something in Emily’s voice keeps her from getting teased by her wife and her friend. JJ just nods.

“Okay. It’s great, honey. He’ll love it.”

Emily just nods. She and Garcia take the packages out to the Lexus. As they walk, Garcia looks at her friend.

“You okay?”

“I think so.”

“You   _think_   so? I don’t like the sound of that.”

Emily gets the bike and packages situated in the back end of the SUV. She uses the time to get her thoughts in order.

“I’ve never really looked forward to Christmas before. And now I think I’m finally feeling the excitement little kids feel.” She turns around and sits down on the edge of the storage area. “I could   _so_   see him riding that bike, Pen. I could hear him asking me to hold him and to not let him fall. And I just…I had to buy it. It’s completely nuts. Totally irrational. I don’t make these kinds of ridiculous purchases. But I had to buy it and he’s not even a year old yet. I’m insane!”

Garcia smiles and sits down beside her. “No, Emily, you’re a mother. You’re a wife. And you are finally a daughter. You have a lot to be thankful for and look forward to. It doesn’t surprise me a bit that you are suddenly seeing your future and already planning for it. That bike isn’t a sign of insanity. It’s a sign of stability. And it is mucho awesome!”

Emily looks at her nervously. “Really? You think so?”

Garcia nods. “Yep. Extend that fantasy a bit and tell me this: did Henry have a sibling or siblings watching and waiting for their turn?”

Emily blushes and smiles. “Yeah. A little sister. She was on a scooter. How did you know?”

“Just a hunch. And I was helping JJ with her computer the other day and saw a search on IVF treatment centers.”

Emily chuckles. “Ah, I see. That’s a ways off for now but…well…maybe sometime next year we’ll start the process.”

Garcia studies Emily a moment. Then her eyes get wide. “Oh my GOD! It’s for you! You’re going to carry a little Prentiss!”

Emily nods, smiling widely. “I’m going to try. There could be…issues but we’re going to see. But if all goes well, yes, the next one will be ours via me.”

Garcia pulls her into a big hug. “I’m so happy for you! If you need anything and I mean ANYTHING, you let me know.”

“I will. Thank you.” She stands. “We better get back inside before JJ thinks we’ve abandoned her to the Santa Village.”

“True.” As they walk Garcia giggles. “So, do you think he’ll be a screamer or a laugher for his first picture with Santa?”

Emily smiles. “Either way I will treasure it forever.”

“Awww… I love it when you go all Supermom on me!”

Emily laughs. “Jennifer told me the same thing a little while ago. She said it was sexy, too.”

Garcia chuckles. “Well, she may have a slightly different reaction to it than I do, but it really is awesome. You are such a good Mama. Henry is lucky to have three great parents.”

“Not to mention an incredibly wonderful fairy godmother,” Emily points out.

Garcia nods. “Yes, that’s very true, too. A very lucky boy indeed.”

They meet up with JJ in the line for Henry to see Santa. The little boy is dozing in his stroller. By the time they get to the front of the line they worry he won’t wake up. But as JJ lifts him up, his eyes come open. Though still sleepy he grins at her.

Then he sees Santa.

He gets his shocked look: eyes wide, mouth in an “O”. JJ smiles at him.

“You ready to see Santa, Henry? I bet you are!”

She hands him to the man. Garcia and Emily laugh as he studies the man with the same frown JJ uses when contemplating something. He reaches for the man’s beard and tugs…it’s real. The man just laughs, which gets Henry to giggling. JJ is so happy. Henry turns towards the camera and they would never know what exactly scared him but his happy laugh turns to tears of terror.

When JJ gets the pictures she can’t help but laugh at them. Especially since he was back to happy Henry now.

“Well, I’ve got copies for Will, my parents, your parents and us,” she tells Emily. “Do you think we’ll remember he was happy a split second before and a split second after?”

Garcia holds up her cell phone. “I’ve got it on video. I can make before and after stills for you.”

JJ gives her a hug. “As always, you rock, Garcia.”

She smiles proudly. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

They head to Starbucks for a coffee before heading home for the day. There will be plenty of presents wrapped at the condo that weekend. In the SUV, JJ notices a bag from Frederick’s of Hollywood. She glances at Emily. The profiler just grins and taps her phone, code for “another of your fantasies.” JJ blushes…and hopes Henry is tired enough to get to sleep early that night.


	20. Chapter 20

Henry is asleep well before his bedtime that night. JJ draws Emily into a deep kiss as they walk out of the nursery.

“I had so much fun shopping today. I am so excited for his first Christmas and our first Christmas as a family.”

Emily draws a hand through JJ’s hair. “Me, too. Thank you for letting me into his life, Jennifer. And thank you for being my wife.”

“The first was easy. The second was my pleasure. I love you, Emily.”

“I love you, Jen.”

They kiss again. Emily’s hand strays up under the shirt Jen wears, her hand gliding along the skin of her wife’s lower back. JJ moans, leaning into her wife’s embrace. When they finally come up for air, Emily grins devilishly.

“You want to know what was in the bag, don’t you?” JJ just nods, her eyes dark with desire. “I think it might end up being one of my favorites. Come on.”

Emily takes JJ’s hand and leads her into the bedroom. From the bag, she pulls two more bags. She hands the red one to JJ. “This one is yours.” She holds up the black one. “This is mine. Give me five minutes before you open yours. Take a shower or something. I promise: you’ll be happy if you wait.”

JJ bites her lip. She wants to dive into the bag but she sighs, accepting Emily would only ask for patience if it was necessary to the fantasy.

“Okay. A shower. But be warned: it   _won’t_  be a cold one.”

Emily smiles and gives JJ another deep kiss before sending her into the bathroom. JJ sets the bag on the counter, staring at it, dying to know what’s in it. Finally she grabs a towel and throws it over the bag.

“You’re a five year old when it comes to presents. A horny teenager when it comes to Emily. Not a good mix, Jen,” she tells herself.

She quickly undresses and hops into the shower. As the hot water rushes over her body she realizes her nipples are already sensitive in anticipation of what’s to come. Running a hand between her legs, she shivers. Her whole body is on edge.

She gets out of the shower and sees the five minutes are up. She quickly dries off and steps to the counter. Biting her lip once more, she uncovers the bag and opens it. Inside she finds a blue lace negligee. She holds it up. It would hide absolutely nothing.

“Nice, Em,” she whispers.

She looks in the bag again and sees a wand with a feather attached to the end. Her eyes get wide. The only thing that would be used for is teasing. JJ feels her clit swell. Had she really told Emily about   _that_   fantasy? She swallows. And more to the point, if she did, is Emily saying she’s   _okay_   with it? Whoa.

JJ puts on the negligee. As she turns to leave, she notices her sapphire heels placed near the door. They hadn’t been there earlier. There is only one reason they would be there now. She grins and slips them on. Taking a deep breath, she opens the door and steps into the bedroom. She nearly comes from the sight before her.

Emily wears nothing but a smile. Her ankles and one wrist are tied to the bedpost with black satin scarves. Her other wrist has a scarf tied to it, awaiting JJ’s help with the final binding. On her forehead is a mask, waiting for JJ to put it into place.

“You want me tied to the bed, helpless, as you tease me into frenzy; until I ask you to take me; until I beg you to fuck me; until I admit I am yours to do with as you want.”

JJ walks towards the bed. She takes Emily’s free hand in hers. Emily sees her wife’s eyes are so dark as to be nearly black. Emily licks her lips as JJ ties the free hand to the bedpost. Leaning down over her wife, JJ kisses her lightly on the lips, teasing her with her tongue. Emily arches towards JJ, trying for more. JJ smiles, she now knows how much play Emily has in her bindings.

“Are you mine?” JJ asks.

“I am my own person,” Emily answers.

JJ licks along her jaw. “Maybe. For now.”

She slides the mask down over Emily’s eyes. She watches as Emily’s already hard nipples get harder. JJ had never had the nerve to try something like this with a lover. Knowing how much Emily trusts her to allow this makes it even more erotic. She steps away from the bed. She circles, making sure her heels click loudly on the hardwood floor. She watches as Emily’s head turns, following the sounds.

JJ stops. She starts to circle back, this time making sure her feet make no sound. Emily’s head is still turned to where she thinks JJ stands. JJ fingers the feather wand, smiling seductively. She reaches out with it, lightly teasing up Emily’s side. The older woman jumps, a gasp escaping her mouth as her head whips around towards where JJ stands.

“Are you mine?” JJ asks again.

“I am my own person,” Emily answers slightly breathlessly.

“Not for long,” JJ promises.

She walks along the side of the bed, letting Emily hear her movement. She draws the feather across the bottoms of both of feet. Emily twists, trying to pull away from the sensation. She lets out a small whimper. JJ continues up the other side of the bed, dragging the feather lightly up the inside of Emily’s leg. As it nears Emily’s wet center, the profiler arches towards it but JJ draws it up across her thigh and up her side.

“Are you mine?”

“N…no,” is all Emily can manage.

JJ starts to swirl the feather around one of Emily’s nipples. The woman writhes at the sensation. Trying to both get away from   _and_   get closer to the caress. JJ removes the feather. She brings her head down, holding her hair back so it doesn’t touch Emily. She draws her tongue over Emily’s hard nipple.

“Oh, Jen,” Emily whispers before she can stop herself.

JJ smiles and stands back up. She teases the other nipple with the feather, watching a Emily’s hands clench and unclench. She starts to bring the feather back down her wife’s body. She plays it around Emily’s belly button, watching as the woman arches, trying to get a firmer touch; to get the satisfaction she craves.

JJ leans over and blows on Emily’s clit. Emily’s body stiffens, straining at the bonds. JJ stands back up. She teases Emily’s clit with the feather. Emily’s moans getting her wetter and wetter.

“Are.” Feathers the clit. “You.” Blows on the clit. “Mine?”

“Yes! Oh, please, JJ, please take me. Please. I need you.”

“Tell me what you want,” JJ commands as she turns the wand over and uses the hard end to start massaging Emily’s hard jewel.

Emily’s hips buck, wanting more than JJ is willing to give just yet. “I’m yours, Jennifer. Please, take me. I need you. Please, no more teasing. Please just fuck me!”

JJ reaches into the drawer in the nightstand, taking out another toy to use. She climbs onto the bed, inserting herself between Emily’s legs. She draws her tongue over Emily’s folds.

“Are you mine?”

“YES!”

She slides the tip of the vibrator into Emily. She moans at the contact, trying to shift to draw more in.

“And what do you want me to do?” JJ asks.

“Fuck me. Please…” Emily whimpers.

“As you wish, Emily,” JJ replies.

She slides the vibrator in as she draws Emily’s clit into her mouth.

“GOD YES! JEN! YES!”

JJ uses her shoulders to keep Emily’s hips as still as possible as she starts to thrust harder, deeper, faster with the toy. She angles it to make sure it hits Emily’s G-spot. Emily is reduced to guttural sounds as she starts to bear down, her hands wanted to touch JJ, to hold her blonde head to Emily’s brunette center. When JJ knows Emily is on the edge, she reaches up a hand and twists one hard nipple.

Emily is rocked by an explosion. She comes harder than she can ever remember. JJ continues to work vibrator and clit until the last possible bit of pleasure is drawn from Emily. As the older woman collapses back to the bed for the final time, JJ crawls up her body and removes the mask.

“I love you, Emily. And now I   _need_   you.”

She turns around, lowering her wet center to Emily’s waiting mouth. On all fours she rides her wife’s face until almost too soon her own orgasm rips through her body.

“EM! YES! FUCKING LOVE YOU!”

As she drops down to the bed, she rolls to be beside Emily. Both women lay there panting. After a few moments, JJ reaches above her head and unties Emily’s right ankle. Emily bends her leg at the knee, opening her hot center even more. JJ draws a tongue along the back of Emily’s leg as she reaches over and unties the other leg. She then turns around, settling once more between Emily’s legs.

“I love you, Emily.”

She captures Emily’s lips in a kiss, tasting herself on her wife. She starts to rock her still sensitive sex against Emily’s, who meets every thrust.

“Please, Jen, let me touch you. Please,” Emily begs.

JJ reaches up and unties Emily’s left hand. As that hand buries itself in JJ’s hair, she unties the right hand. That hand goes to JJ’s ass, urging her to thrust harder. Now completely free, Emily rolls until JJ is under her.

“I love you, Jennifer.”

Her hand drives into JJ as she captures JJ’s mouth in a kiss. In seconds, JJ is screaming into Emily’s mouth as another orgasm races through her. Emily breaks the kiss and looks down at her wife.

“I love you, Jennifer,” she says again. “And I am yours.”

“And I’m yours, Emily. Now and always.”

“Te amo, Jen.”

They kiss again. They might have done more but…they hear Henry start to fuss on the baby monitor. JJ groans.

“I know I should go check on him…but I’m not sure I can walk.”

Emily smiles. “I   _know_   I can’t. How about we go together so we don’t fall over?”

JJ smiles. “That might work.”

They get up and pull on pajamas. Together the head down to see to Henry, who just needs a diaper change. As they get back to the bedroom, JJ pulls Emily close.

“Thank you.” She blushes. “I’ve never…been comfortable enough with anyone to do that. I still can’t believe I even told you, drugged or not.”

Emily kisses JJ. “You can tell me anything, Jen. Any fantasy, any dream. I promise, my love for you won’t change.”

“Same for you, Emily. And thank you for trusting me enough to give me that much control. It was…God, I don’t have a word for it.”

Emily smiles. “Me, neither. But we   _will_   do it again sometime, right?”

JJ pulls her in for another kiss. “Definitely!”


	21. Chapter 21

Around 3 p.m.. Monday Hotch calls for Emily to come into his office. As she walks in he holds a file out to her.

“We have an offender willing to do a questionnaire. He requested you be the one to do it with him.”

Emily raises an eyebrow. “Really? Why me?” As she opens the folder she sees why. She looks up sharply. “What the fuck? Are you serious?”

Hotch stares at her in surprise. “Is there a reason you shouldn’t do this?”

Emily starts to pace. She had nearly killed the man. In the days afterward she had even wished she’d killed him. So many negative emotions were tied up in her memories of Nashville and Joe Belser. Finally she stops and looks at Hotch.

“You obviously weren’t there. We shouldn’t have been, either. We were all…fuck…this is about me. **_I_ ** was too emotional. It took everything I had in me not to pull the damn trigger. And instead of reading him his rights I basically told him he was going to get raped in jail and that he should just play along with it.” She drops down into the chair in front of Hotch’s desk. “Why the hell would he want me to walk him through this?”

Hotch sits back. He knew the team had struggled with that case and in the days after. Until now he hadn’t realized how close to the edge Emily, and most likely all of them, had been. She is studying the case file and suddenly looks back up, a slight grin on her face.

“It’s not what I said, it’s what I looked like!”

Hotch shakes his head. “I don’t understand.”

“He was killing brunette’s that looked like his ex-fiancé. I bet he wants me to do this to somehow wrap me up in a fantasy he may have been having.”

Hotch nods. “Could be. Or it could be he has actually been attacked and blames you for it. He may be looking at a shot for revenge.”

Emily shrugs. “Won’t be the first one. Besides, he’ll be cuffed and secured. I’ll be fine.”

“True. You want Rossi as your second on this?”

Emily looks down at the file a moment. She shakes her head. “No.” She looks up. “If he’s up for it how about Morgan? He…he was there and, well, he told me he wouldn’t have let me shoot him. He’ll have my back again if Belser manages to push the right buttons.”

“Fine. They’ll be expecting you at 9 a.m. tomorrow. You may want to fly out tonight.”

Emily stands. “Right. I’ll talk to Morgan and we’ll get you our itinerary as soon as we have it.”

She heads out to see Morgan. She waits by his desk until he gets off the phone. He looks up at her.

“What’s up, Princess?”

Emily grins. “Have I got a treat for you!”

He raises an eyebrow. “Not buying it. Are you about to ruin my week?”

“Maybe,” she admits with a shrug. She hands him the folder. “Joe Belser wants to participate in a questionnaire. He requested me personally. Hotch said you could come along as my second for this. And, well, considering last time…I know you’ll have my back, Derek.”

Morgan nods. “Always, Emily. When do we leave?”

“They expect us at 9 tomorrow at Riverbend so maybe tonight?”

He glances at his desk. He only had two more folders and he could take those with him. He nods. “That works.”

“Good. I’ll call to arrange a hotel and flight. I’ll let you know when we need to go.”

Morgan smiles at her. “How about I do that and you go tell a certain media liaison that you’re flying out of town a few days before your son’s first Christmas?”

Emily chuckles. “Uh, yeah, maybe that’s a better plan. Thanks, Morgan.” She heads down the hall and taps on JJ’s door. “Got a second?”

“Sure. No need to worry about these 23 case files sitting here waiting for my attention.”

“Watch the claws, Catwoman,” Emily warns her irritated wife.

JJ sighs and sits back. “Sorry. Straus has been bugging me all morning about the cases I gave her Friday.” She runs a hand over her face. “I shouldn’t take it out on you, even if three of the reports that made them late were yours.”

Emily laughs. “Um, I’m going to leave and come back when whatever bug is up your butt vacates the premises. I’ll see you in a couple days.”

She turns to leave and her words finally register with JJ. “HEY! Wait a second. Are you serious? You’re leaving?”

Emily turns around walks back into JJ’s office. She sits down in one of the chairs. “Morgan and I have to fly to Nashville tonight. Joe Belser wants me to be the one to walk him through one of our questionnaires.”

JJ stares at Emily. She knew more than anyone what the confrontation with Belser had done to Emily’s psyche. She leans forward on her desk. “Are you sure you should do this, baby?” she asks gently.

Emily nods. “Yeah, I can do it. Hotch and I figure he expects me to be a brunette.” She runs a hand through her still blonde hair. “Imagine his surprise when I walk in with this!”

JJ chuckles. “He’ll be chained, right? I don’t want him ripping your hair out before you get a chance to fix it.”

Emily nods. “I’m sure all precautions will be taken. And, you know, Morgan’s going. He gets what happened.”

JJ smiles. “Yeah, he does. I’m glad he’s the one with you. I know he’ll have your back.”

Emily nods. “Always.”

* * *

 

A couple hours later Morgan and Emily are on a flight to Nashville. They are reviewing the case file on Belser to make sure they know the direction they want to take the interview. Morgan shakes his head.

“I still can’t believe he pled guilty.”

“He didn’t want to get fried,” Emily points out.

“Yeah, but he was convinced these women loved him. He could have gone for insanity,” Morgan suggests.

“Maybe. But it would have been tough to prove. Especially when he broke pattern and killed the one woman’s boyfriend.”

“True.” He looks over at her. “What if he freaks about your hair color?”

Emily shrugs. “Nothing I can do about it. If that is why he wants me to lead this he’s going to be sorely disappointed. And if he shuts up because of it, nothing we can do except enjoy some good southern cooking before heading home,” she says with a smile.

Morgan laughs. “Good call!”

When they get to the hotel that night, Emily immediately calls JJ. “Hey, baby. We’re here.”

“Hi. Good. I was wondering why you hadn’t called yet.”

“Icy conditions at the airport had a couple runways shut down. Why can’t winter interviews ever be held in Hawaii or Florida or something?” Emily jokes.

JJ laughs. “Yeah. Damn murderers for getting chatty when it’s only 30 degrees!”

“Well, I need to go. Morgan and I are grabbing a late dinner and then we’re out of here early tomorrow. I’ll let you know if we’re coming back tomorrow or Wednesday.”

“Okay. Be safe, sweetheart. I love you. And Henry loves you, too.”

Emily smiles. “I love you both. Talk to you tomorrow, Jen.”

“Goodnight, Emily.”

Emily disconnects and sighs. She hates when travel takes her away from JJ and Henry. Especially at a time of year when inclement weather could impact her return.

“Please, God, if you still listen to me, please let me get home to them in time for Christmas. Please,” Emily prays. She stands and heads out to meet up with Morgan.

* * *

 

Emily arranges the files on the tabletop. They would walk Belser through each murder and the final assault eventually. But first they would dive deep into his childhood and his upbringing. What had happened that impacted his mind; what would make him snap at his girlfriend’s rejection instead of trying to move on with his life. Why was he a killer instead of just a jilted lover?

Morgan walks up and looks at the arrangement. “Did we ever see the pysch eval his lawyer requested?”

Emily shakes her head. “For whatever reason, he refused to use it so it was never part of the evidence. My guess is he was judged sane and the lawyer knew it would blow any chance for an acquittal.”

Morgan just nods as they hear the unmistakable sounds of approaching shackles. As two guards lead Belser in he gets his first look at Emily. He stops cold in his tracks, his eyes wide.

“Come on, Belser. Let’s go,” one guard says.

Belser starts to shake his head. “No…no…she was…she’s supposed to be a brunette.” He looks at Morgan. “Who the hell is she?”

Morgan looks at Emily then back to Belser. “She’s Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss. She’s the one that disarmed and subdued you.”

Belser shakes his head. “NO! No, Prentiss is a brunette! Not a blonde! A brunette!”

Emily shrugs. “It’s called a change of pace, Mr. Belser. And since it’s not against the law to go blonde I went for it.”

The two guards shove Belser towards the table and secure the chain around his waist to the table. “Behave, Belser, or this little interview is over,” one guard threatens.

The two guards leave the room. Emily sits down across from the prisoner. “Mr. Belser, you have agreed to willingly participate in—”

“I’ll talk to you!” He looks at Morgan. “Not him.”

“Mr. Belser, it is customary to have two agents present to lead these types of interviews,” Emily explains.

Belser looks back at her. “Tell him to get out or this is done.”

Emily and Morgan had suspected Belser would make this demand. Emily gets up and they move away acting as if they are discussing the demand. Finally Morgan says loud enough for the convict to hear.

“Fine! But if Hotch chews your ass out for doing this alone don’t blame me. I’ll be at the hotel.” He grabs the folders he had been holding and storms out of the room. Unknown to Belser he stops just outside the room to observe through the mirrored window.

Emily sits down and opens the first file. “Mr. Belser, we need—”

“Call me Joe, Emily.”

She raises an eyebrow. “I’ll call you Mr. Belser and you’ll call me Agent Prentiss.”

He slumps a bit. “Fine. It will be like role playing, _Agent Prentiss_ ,” he says with a suggestive lilt to his voice.

Emily has to concentrate to keep from shuddering at his tone. She knows she must keep him from making this like a date. “Whatever works for you, Mr. Belser. We need to know a little about your childhood.”

“I’d rather know about yours,” he says with a smarmy grin.

Emily glares at him, slowly closing the folder. “Mr. Belser, are you aware this is an interview   _not_   a date? This isn’t quid pro quo. I ask, you answer. And at the end I leave and you go back to your cell. Do you understand that or do we suspend this session now?”

Outside Morgan nods and speaks as if Emily can hear him. “Good job, Prentiss. Establish that you are in charge. And please don’t knock that slimy smile off his face. I don’t want to have to deal with all that damn paperwork.”

Back in the room, Belser is just staring at Emily. She stares back. Eventually he looks away.

“I understand,” he mutters.

“Good.” She reopens the folder and walks him through his childhood. As they reach his teenage years he starts to get restless.

“I want to walk around. It helps me think.”

“Sorry. Prison rules are you stay in your seat. Nothing I can do about that,” Emily tells him.

“There are lots of rules in prison, Agent Prentiss. A lot of them get broken.” He leans forward and yells angrily. “It’s against the rules to rape another inmate. Think that stops any of them? Think that stops the men you sent after me?”

Emily gives him a bored look. “I sent no one after you. I have more important things to concern myself with than you, Mr. Belser.” She picks up the next folder. “Shall we move on to high school?”

He smiles at her. “Of course, Agent Prentiss.”

His sudden change of attitude gives Emily a bit of concern but she continues. “Okay. So in high school would you say you were one of the popular kids?”

“Everyone wanted to be with me or be me. I was the king of my school.” He leans towards her. “You could have been my queen. My own Anne Boleyn.”

“Anne of a Thousand Days? Gee, thanks,” Emily says.

She looks back down at her folder and that’s when he makes his move. He had used his earlier rant to cover the sounds of him using a small bit of metal to unlock the chain attaching him to the table. He leaps across the table at her.

Emily barely gets her hands up in time to block his hands from hitting her face. They both crash backwards. Her head bounces off the floor, stunning her. As he brings his hands up to smash down onto her face, Morgan tackles him off of Emily.

“NO! LET ME GO! SHE IS THE ONE THAT GETS ME HURT! LET ME AT HER!”

He is still screaming as the guards drag him out of the room. Morgan races to Emily’s side. She is groaning and rubbing the back of her head.

“Ow. Shit. Not good. Fuck that hurts.”

“Emily! Easy, let’s get an ambulance and—”

She cuts him off. “No! I’m okay. Really. Just took a good hit to the head. You’re always telling me how hard it is so it can’t be that bad.”

Morgan chuckles. “True. Can you sit up?”

With a steadying hand from Morgan, Emily sits up. Her head is throbbing but she is glad that she doesn’t seem to be experiencing double vision. She tells him that. “So, no concussion.”

“Maybe.”

A moment later, the warden races in. “What the hell happened?”

Morgan stands and glares at the man. “Your prisoner had something he was able to use to free himself and attack Agent Prentiss. You’re damn lucky she’s not seriously hurt. Don’t you all do a search of the prisoner before bringing them into an interview?”

The warden sighs. “We’re supposed to. I’ll look into this, Agent Morgan. I swear.” He looks at Emily. “My apologies, Agent Prentiss. I assure you, heads will roll for this.”

Emily rubs her own head. “Hopefully not mine again.” She slowly stands. She glances at Morgan. “No dizziness.”

“Good. I should have been in here.”

“Derek, don’t do that. You stopped him before he could do anything bad to me. I’m fine. Let’s just get the hell out of here. If he really wants to do an interview for the BAU files Rossi and Reid can do it.”

“Amen to that,” Morgan agrees.

As they drive away from Riverbend Maximum Security Institute, Morgan calls Hotch and lets him know what happened. Emily calls JJ.

“Jen, I swear, I’m okay.” She listens. “No, he’s on the phone with Hotch right now.”

Meanwhile, Morgan is having a similar conversation. “Hotch, she’s fine, I swear.” He listens. “No, she’s on the phone with Jayje right now.”

The two agents sigh at the same time and look at each other. “He/She wants to talk to you,” they say simultaneously.

They chuckle and exchange phones. After assuring Hotch and JJ they are okay, Emily calls the airline and changes their flight to an earlier one, gladly paying the change fee if it gets her home to her soft, comfy pillows sooner rather than later.

* * *

 

JJ slowly enters her bedroom. She sees Emily stretched out facedown on top of the bedspread. JJ smiles. She moves to the bed and lies down beside her wife, kissing her neck. Emily’s eyes flutter open and she rolls onto her back.

“Hi, baby. I’m fine,” Emily says immediately.

JJ smiles. “I can see that. Morgan told us all what happened. Bet you have a heck of a goose egg back there.”

Emily carefully rubs her head. “Yeah. Francesca made an ice pack for me. Between that and Aleve it feels better. A bottle of tequila would probably make it perfect,” she adds with a wink.

JJ laughs. “Uh, let’s stick with the ice and pills for now.”

“Spoil sport,” Emily says with a smile.

JJ stares at her a moment then leans in for a proper kiss. “Welcome home, sweetheart.”

“Glad to be home,” Emily responds as she pulls JJ close to her. She takes a deep breath. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to feel when I saw him. He’s being abused there, Jen. And after what he did to those women, after the hatred I felt for him the night we caught him, I felt sorry for him.”

“Even after he attacked you?”

“Yeah. He’s totally lost control of his life in just a couple years. I’m sure if he could have actually answered truthfully and completely, we may have seen what things lead to his psychotic break. We really could have learned something from him but now I doubt we’ll ever get the chance.”

JJ shakes her head. “You astound me sometime, Agent Prentiss. The depth of compassion you can have is amazing to me.” She gives her another kiss. “But if he does decide to participate for real, let Reid and Rossi talk to him, okay?”

Emily chuckles. “Morgan and I already decided that.”

“Good. So, you ready for dinner?”

“I think I could eat.”

JJ stands and offers her hand to Emily. Once standing, JJ gives her wife another kiss. “I’m really glad you’re okay.”

“Me, too. I would have hated to be hurt over Christmas. This year is the most important one I’ll ever celebrate. I want to be there for all of it.”

After one more kiss, they head downstairs for dinner.


	22. Chapter 22

It’s Christmas Eve morning and Will and his girlfriend have arrived for the weekend. Emily and Will are debating whether an angel or a star should go on top of the small Christmas tree in the living room area of the condo.

“My family always did an angel, Emily. It’s just right.”

“But the star is what guided the Wise men to Jesus. It should be the tree topper,” Emily states definitively.

“The Wise men wouldn’t have known to go if an angel hadn’t told them to go,” Will counters.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” JJ blurts out. She walks over to them. “Twenty minutes is 19 minutes too long to have this discussion. Rock, paper, scissors on three. Loser gets to choose the topper next year. Now: one, two, three!”

Will throws rock. Emily throws scissors. Will laughs.

“Yes! Angel it is!”

“Suddenly I don’t like either of you anymore,” Emily says as Will puts the angel on top of the tree.

“You know, maybe you three could come down to my place for Christmas next year. You can experience a true Cajun Christmas.”

“Cajun Christmas?” Emily questions. “Does that mean some redneck in a pick-up being pulled by alligators instead of Santa and his reindeer?” she asks as if serious.

Will and JJ laugh. “You are a true smartass, Emily,” Will says.

Emily smiles. “Yes, yes I am,” she agrees proudly. She bends down and picks up Henry. “What do you think, Champ? Look good?” Henry claps his hand and smiles, waving at the pretty lights.

With the tree now finished, the four of them step back to stare at it. Emily wraps her arm around JJ’s shoulder. She sees JJ holding Will’s hand. A feeling of warmth steals over her. She is more content at this moment than she can ever remember being.

As Helen Wainwright comes out of the guestroom she can’t help but smile at the unusual family grouping in front of her. She pulls out her cell phone and snaps a photo. When she and Will had first started dating she had not completely understood, or even wanted to understand, the bond he had with his ex-girlfriend. Now with a second holiday in DC underway, she understands he is a truly good man who wants to be part of his son’s life. That he, JJ and Emily made the situation work without bitterness or anger amazes the doctor, who has seen what can happen when negative emotions outweigh positive ones. She was glad to be part of this unique family. Perhaps some day she’d be permanently part of it. She smiles at that thought.

A little while later, Henry is napping, as are Will and Helen who had flown in after working overnights in their respective jobs. Emily and JJ sit on the sofa enjoying a cup of cocoa.

“So, tomorrow we open presents here then head to Morgan’s for dinner in the afternoon. Can Morgan cook?” JJ asks.

Emily grins. “He could burn water. My mother is cooking again.”

JJ chuckles. “Ah, so the caterers will be there. Glad it’s his house not ours this time.”

“Me, too. It just made sense with the number of people expected.” She kisses JJ’s forehead. “Next year we’ll host it.”

JJ smiles. “Yes, we will. I can’t wait.” She runs her hand through Emily’s once again raven locks. “Have I mentioned lately how happy I am that your hair is back to the right color? Or at least close to the right color.”

Emily smiles. “Not in at least 5 minutes. I’m glad, too. Celia earned a hell of a tip yesterday. I admit it was fun being blonde for a little while but I’m glad to be me again. I’ll let you be the sexy blonde in the relationship.”

“Have you told your mother?”

“Nope. I’ll stick a bow on top of my head and tell her it’s my gift to her,” Emily jokes.

JJ laughs. “You’re a twisted woman, Emily Prentiss.”

“But you wouldn’t have me any other way,” Emily points out.

“True. Very, very true.”

* * *

 

At Christmas Eve service that night, everyone comments how dashing Henry looks in his little suit. Pride surges through Emily as JJ always points out it was Mama’s choice, not Mommy’s. The smile on Emily’s face is beaming and even Elizabeth sees that her daughter is happier this Christmas than she’s ever been. She comments on it to Gerald.

“She’s never been this excited. Not even the year she found out she was getting a pony.”

Gerald chuckles. “Our Christmases were…well, lacking in this type of family closeness.”

“We were fools, Gerald,” Elizabeth admits.

“Yes, we were. How the hell did she not end up as screwed up as us?”

Elizabeth chuckles. “I have no idea. Maybe she was so determined not to be us that she really didn’t become us. Lord knows she’s got a strength of mind I envy.”

Gerald nods. “That she does. She’d make a great politician.”

Elizabeth looks at him. “If you _ever_  say that loud enough for her to hear you best hope she’s not armed.”

Gerald laughs, knowing his wife (and current girlfriend) was very right about that.

* * *

 

“Jen? Jen? Are you awake yet? Jen?”

JJ opens one eye. “Emily, if it’s before 7 a.m. we’re getting a divorce.” Silence greets that statement. JJ groans. “It is, isn’t it?” JJ puts a pillow over her head as she rolls to put her back to her wife. “I’m married to a freakin’ 4 year old,” she mutters.

Emily rolls to her back and sighs. She looks at the clock. It’s only 6:13. Emily had already been awake for half an hour. Had she ever awakened this early as a kid? She wasn’t sure but she didn’t think so. She looks at the clock again. 6:14. Dang it! The clock must be broken. She grabs her phone and sees it also says 6:14. Emily rolls to her side, snuggling up against JJ’s back.

“ _Well, if I can’t sleep, maybe I can at least have fun_ ,” she thinks evilly.

She runs her hand up under JJ’s sleep shirt, lightly caressing her stomach. Gradually the caresses get higher. She feels JJ’s body getting warmer and smiles. Finally she is teasing the underside of JJ’s breasts. As she cups one, she feels the hard nipple. As she pinches it lightly, JJ yelps, now fully awake. Emily rolls JJ to her back as JJ knocks the pillow off her head.

“You’re incorrigible, Emily Prentiss.”

“No. I’m in love, Jennifer Prentiss.”

Emily leans down and gives JJ a deep kiss. JJ threads her fingers through Emily’s hair as her chest arches into the hand that has not stopped its’ work on her breast. As the kiss ends, Emily looks into JJ’s eyes.

“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Prentiss.”

“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Prentiss,” JJ echoes.

They kiss again as Emily lifts JJ’s shirt up to expose her breasts. Her mouth then moves to the nipple that had been ignored. JJ moans.

“Oh, Em, yes.”

Emily sits up and pulls her own shirt off, wanting her skin to be touching JJ’s. JJ removes her own shirt completely. Emily throws a leg over one of JJ’s, her wet mound riding her wife’s thigh; her own thigh pressing into JJ. Their sleep pants acting as a frustrating barrier. Emily kisses JJ deeply, allowing both of her hands to play with JJ supple breasts. JJ’s hands mirror Emily’s. Both women moan, their kisses becoming harder, deeper. Finally JJ starts to shove Emily’s pants down.

“Please, Em. Need you. Now. Please.”

“I need you, too.”

In seconds the final cloth barrier is gone. JJ rolls them over so that she sits astride one of Emily’s thighs. Her mouth latches onto one of Emily’s breasts as he begins to rock her hips. Her juices coat Emily’s thigh as her leg is coated with Emily’s. Simultaneously, the women reach down to fondle the clit of their wife. As they near climax, Emily grabs JJ by the hair and pulls her back up into a kiss. Their tongues fight for dominance as they both come hard, their hips crashing into each other as they muffle their screams in each other’s mouth. JJ collapses down against Emily, their hearts beating as one.

They lay that way for a few minutes, just enjoying hearing each other breathe. Emily stokes her hand lazily through JJ’s hair. JJ finally looks up at her.

“I really wanted to sleep in this morning,” she says with a grin.

Emily chuckles. “Well, you didn’t   _have_   to wake up.”

“Oh, yeah, I should have just laid there like a lump and let you have your way with me? I don’t think so,” JJ says, rolling her eyes.

“You’d have been a gorgeous lump.”

“Still not helping. And now I bet you’re thinking since I’m awake we can do the presents thing now, right?”

Emily shrugs. “Wellll, if you insist.”

JJ laughs and starts to get up. “You’re so fucking cute, Emily. I love you so much.”

Emily pulls her back down. “I love you, too.” She caresses JJ’s cheek. “Thank you for making this my best Christmas ever.”

“It’s not even over yet. Anything could go wrong.”

“As long as you and Henry are part of this day, nothing can go wrong.”

* * *

 

An hour later Henry has opened all his gifts…and is playing with the boxes and wrapping paper. Will chuckles and looks at Emily.

“We could have saved a lot of money if we’d known that stuff would be what he really wanted.”

Emily laughs. “True. But hopefully he’ll come to appreciate the toys. I know I’m looking forward to playing with that racetrack.”

“Me, too.”

They look at each other and grin. In minutes they are setting up the track while Helen and JJ start breakfast.

In the kitchen, Helen looks at JJ and laughs. “Do you think those two will let Henry play with his toy when it’s done?”

JJ shakes her head. “Doubtful. But as long as Henry has the wrapping paper all will be okay.”  
Helen chuckles and agrees. Once breakfast is done, JJ takes Emily’s hand. “I have one more gift for you. But it’s not here.”

Emily pulls her close. “Really? Where is it?”

“Next door. Francesca said it could stay there since she’s out of town with her granddaughter. We can move it over here Sunday.”

“Okay. So do I at least get to see it today?”

“Yes. Come on.”

Leaving Henry with his father and Helen, JJ leads Emily next door. They go to the guest room and JJ pauses outside the closed door.

“You said you always wanted one when you were a kid but couldn’t have one in Embassy housing. Merry Christmas, baby.”

Emily is trying to think what JJ is talking about. There had been a lot of things not allowed in the museum-like homes she had grown up in. JJ gives her a moment to wonder, then slowly opens the door. Emily’s eyes track over the room until they come to the bed. Her heart leaps up into her throat as a kitten as black as night slowly raises a sleepy head.

“Oh, Jen,” Emily whispers.

She steps into the room and moves towards the kitten. It sits up and stares at Emily a moment, before starting to clean its tail. Emily smiles at him.

“No need to fuss for me, little guy.” She looks at JJ. “Is it a guy?”

JJ nods. “Yep. He doesn’t have a name yet, though. I thought you should do the honors.”

Emily lifts him up. He starts to purr and rubs his head against Emily’s chin. JJ watches as brown eyes well up with tears.

“He’s gorgeous, Jen. Oh, aren’t you a sweet boy.” She looks at Jen. “His name is Sergio.”

JJ raises an eyebrow. “Sergio? Dare I ask why?”

Emily laughs and wipes away a tear. “I…I had an imaginary cat when I was like 6. His name was Sergio and he was jet black. That’s why no one could see him. He hid in the shadows so he wouldn’t be sent away.”

JJ smiles and sits down beside her wife. “That’s sweet, baby. Sergio it is.”

They sit there a while longer. Emily turns and looks into Jen’s eyes. “I think this might be the best Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten. Thank you so much, Jen.”

They share a kiss that ends when Sergio tries to push his head between theirs. JJ laughs at him.

“Watch it, bub. She may be your mother but she’s still my wife.”

Emily chuckles and rubs her face against him. “I know we need to get back but I don’t want to leave him. Can we move him now?”

JJ smiles. “Sure. I’ll get the litter box. You grab the food.”

Emily nods. Soon they are heading back to their condo with the new member of the family. When they walk in, Helen gives them the quiet signal. She then points to the couch. Will is asleep. Henry is, too, on his daddy’s chest, the teddy bear “Santa” had brought him clutched in one hand.

Emily is sure she must be dreaming. Her life couldn’t really be this good.


	23. Chapter 23

When they arrive at Morgan’s that afternoon, JJ’s eyes widen at the huge pile of presents she sees under his Christmas tree. Henry and Jack are going to be two VERY happy little boys. Emily adds the gifts they had bought for Jack. She then finds Hotch in the living room talking to Will. Emily grins.

“Think the team went a little overboard on the boys?”

Hotch chuckles. “Did you expect anything less?”

Emily shakes her head no and goes into the next room to greet her parents. She gives them each a hug and kiss. She then tells them about her kitten. Elizabeth smiles, knowing her daughter had always longed for a cat.

“And did you name it Sergio?” Elizabeth asks.

Emily blushes. “Yes, in fact, I did. Jen didn’t know about that but somehow she picked out the right kitten for me.” Emily frowns. “Wait a minute…did she ask you?”

Elizabeth shrugs. “She may have mentioned her idea and I may have suggested a color and sex.”

Emily just shakes her head. “And here I thought she was just lucky.”

They decide to open gifts before dinner. Jack leaps into the pile, followed closely by Garcia. She squeals with delight as he and Henry open presents. Everyone laughs as it looks like she’s having more fun than the boys.

There is one toy for Jack that Emily has her eyes on. Once things have settled and Jack is playing GI Joes with Reid, she moves towards the gift. She sees Morgan out of the corner of her eye also moving that way. The two profilers stop and stare at each other…then both make dive for the remote control tank.

“Morgan, haven’t you ever heard of ladies first?” Emily jokes as she tries to get the box away from him.

“Yes. But JJ isn’t the one that wants it,” he points out with a grin.

“Oooo…buddy, you’re gonna regret that one.”

Garcia rolls her eyes. “Children behave or you’ll have to be separated.” They continue to wrestle over the toy. “Morgan, Emily…do I need to get JJ?” She asks sternly.

Morgan and Emily stop. They stare at Garcia then finally put the box down. Garcia grins at them.

“You guys are too easy.”

She grabs the box and heads for the back door. She wants to be the first one to play with it.

“You brat!” Emily hollers starting after her.

“Emily! A word please!” Elizabeth calls.

Emily watches as Morgan follows Garcia out the back door. She’d lost her chance to play with the tank. She sighs. “Sure, Mom.”

Elizabeth leads Emily into the study and shuts the door. “Emily, I have a favor to ask.”

Emily nods. “Okay.”

“The big New Year’s benefit for the Smithsonian is next weekend.” Emily groans. “I know we’ve gone together the past couple of years and I know you did it mostly out of duty.”

“Yes, I know it’s coming. I promise I’ll get a dress this week,” she promises as she turns her head so her mother doesn’t see the lack of enthusiasm.

Elizabeth smiles at the dejected tone. “Um, well, actually, I was wondering if it would be okay if your father went instead of you?”

Emily slowly turns back to her mother. “Really? You and Dad?” Elizabeth nods. “Mom, I think that’s great. So…you two are really…doing good?”

“Better than good,” Elizabeth admits. “Emily, I think I love this Gerald more than the old one. I feel like a young girl in love for the first time again.”

Emily pulls her mother into a hug. “I am so happy for you. For both of you. I really hope the New Year brings a new start for you two. I love you both.”

“We love you, too, Emily.”

They head out to join the rest of the party. Emily walks over and wraps an arm around JJ’s waist.

“You know how you’re going to drive the Lexus up to your parents’ next weekend?” JJ nods. “How about a slight change?”

JJ turns and looks at Emily. “A change? I thought we agreed it’s the safest vehicle for that trip this time of year.”

“It is. But how about I drive instead,” Emily grins.

JJ stares at her. “But what about the ‘damn New Year’s gala’ you’ve been complaining about for a week?”

Emily smiles and looks towards her parents. “Mom’s taking Dad instead.”

JJ smiles. “Really? Oh, Em, that’s great! I’m happy for you and for them.”

“Me, too. And I still say it’s all because of you. I love you, Jennifer Andrea Jareau Prentiss.” She gives her a kiss.

“I love you, too, Emily Elizabeth Prentiss.” JJ pulls her into a hug.

Yes, it is the best Christmas ever. Emily looks over and sees her father with a glazed look in his eyes. The reason would be the non-stop monologue from Reid on the origins of Santa Claus. Emily squeezes JJ’s shoulder as she pulls out her new I-phone. She gives her wife a wink and walks towards Reid. She starts an app and the phone starts to make a piercing beep that gets louder the closer she gets to him. By the time she gets to her friend and her father, the phone is obnoxiously loud and everyone around is looking at her. Reid looks a bit miffed.

Emily looks over her shoulder at JJ. “Hey, baby, the app works perfectly!”

“What app?” Reid asks.

Emily turns and looks back at him. “The Nerd Alert app,” she says with a grin.

Everyone bursts out laughing as Reid turns bright red. As Emily turns off the beeping, Reid grins at her. “I thought you were my friend and co-nerd, you traitor.”

She grabs him and gives him a kiss on the cheek. “I am both, Reid. But I had to save my father or I’d have to go to that damn New Year’s gala next weekend.”

Everyone laughs as Gerald makes a show of thanking his daughter for the rescue. Emily keeps her arm around Reid as dinner is announced and they head to the dining room.

As they gather around the table, Hotch clears his throat to get everyone’s attention. “I’d just like to say that this past year has definitely had it’s ups and downs. But through all the storms we’ve managed to pull together to support each other and I know I speak for myself and Jack when I say we couldn’t have made it without each of you.” He raises his glass of wine. “May 2010 be a year with less downs and more ups. And may it be a safe one for all of us.”

“Here, here!” Rossi echoes as everyone clinks glasses of wine from the Prentiss vineyard. Well, everyone except the kids and Gerald.

* * *

 

When they get back to the condo that night, JJ and Will head upstairs to put Henry to bed. In the kitchen, Emily opens a bottle of wine and pours out a glass for herself and Helen. As they move to the living room to sit down, Helen smiles at Emily. The two had never really been alone before to talk. Helen takes a sip of wine and glances at the brunette.

“You know, when Will first told me about JJ and you and how you were all handling raising Henry I thought it was insane.”

Emily smiles and nods. “I think most people would think that.”

“But you three really do love him and he loves you all. I love that you have pictures of Will and him around the house. Most exes hide away the absent spouse.”

“We not only have his pictures around but we talk about him a lot, too. Will is a really good guy. He’s brave, honest, loyal. Why wouldn’t we want Henry to know him?”

Helen chuckles. “Trust me, I understand. I think he’s pretty wonderful, too.” Emily smiles. “And Henry is a real doll. I’m happy to get to know him. Um, Will told me about the fund you set up.”

Emily blushes. “It was…the right thing to do.”

Helen smiles and nods. “Yes, it was. Thank you for that. I know it is the only thing that allows Will to get up here so often. And he is always so happy when he gets back. Being able to get here at least once a month keeps him from getting depressed. And I think he goes out of his way to see Henry more than any other single father I know. Makes me love him even more.”

“I can believe that. I’m just glad he wants to be part of Henry’s life and he never once made me feel like I was an ass for stepping into his place so quickly with Jen.”

“He told me they’d known for a while it was over. They just tried to keep it together when she found out she was pregnant. Something tells me this unorthodox upbringing Henry will have will be better than growing up in a house of anger and resentment.”

Emily nods. “We agree. I think all four of us see too many families destroyed, too many souls damaged by the wrong decisions. We’ll all fight to make sure we’re always doing what’s best for Henry.”

Helen raises her glass in agreement. “Amen to that!”

Up in the bedroom, Will looks down at Henry, who had barely stirred as he was carried up from the car.

“He’s so beautiful.” He kisses JJ’s temple. “Thank you for having Helen and I here at the condo this weekend. I’m really happy we’ve gotten to spend all of Christmas with him.”

JJ smiles and leans into the one-armed hug he gives her. “I wouldn’t have had it any other way. He was happy you were here and so was I.”

They watch their son sleep a little longer. As Henry smiles and giggles, they wonder what amazing dream he is having. Finally they slip out of their room and join Emily and Helen in the living room. JJ sees the wine and glasses on the coffee table and pours one for herself as Will fetches a beer for himself. JJ sits down beside Emily on the love seat.

“Okay, Prentiss, you said there was a gift for Henry he couldn’t open. What is it? We’ve waited long enough to find out.”

Emily smiles and reaches over onto the bookshelf. She picks up a large mailing envelope and hands it to JJ.

“It’s for the house.”

JJ frowns and pulls out the papers inside. Her eyes widen as she sees the artists rendering of the play area that will be installed starting a week after they move in. She moves to the couch so Will and Helen can see.

“This company specializes in sets that can be adjusted as kids get bigger or as more kids are added to the family,” Emily explains. “They maintain them in case anything breaks. And they put down rubber padding under the whole area to help minimize injuries if someone falls. They’ve already measured and plotted out where everything will go right near the pool, which, by the way, they will also fence in for us with childproof latches on all the gates.”

JJ slowly looks up at Emily. In her eyes is the question, “ _Do I even want to know what this costs_?” Emily just smiles.

“Henry, and any other kids that come along, will be enjoying this for years. It’s worth every penny,” Emily states.

“Emily…it’s fantastic,” Will says. He looks up grinning. “And I love the police motorcycle instead of a regular bouncy horse.”

Emily chuckles. “Me, too. Might as well have him thinking about a law enforcement career from the start.”

Helen glances up. “I don’t know. I’m kind of partial to the hospital playhouse.”

JJ grins. “Trust me…the way our luck runs at times, he’ll be seeing plenty of hospitals just to visit members of the team.”

“Sadly, that’s true,” Emily agrees as they all laugh.

About 11, Emily and JJ are getting ready for bed. Emily wraps her arms around JJ from behind.

“I know I said it this morning but I’ll say it again: thank you for making this my best Christmas ever. I love you so much.”

JJ turns in her wife’s arms. “I love you, too. This was truly a wonderful Christmas. I just wish my parents could have come down.”

“Me, too, sweetheart. But we’ll see them next weekend and bore them to tears with video and pictures. Okay?”

JJ smiles. “Okay. You know, I have one more gift for you.”

Emily is surprised. “You do? What?”

“Go get in bed. I’ll bring it to you in a minute. It’s something you asked for.”

Emily tries to think of what it could be as she heads to the bedroom. She sees Sergio curled up on the chair beside the bed and smiles at him. She crawls into bed.

“You ready, Em?” JJ calls from the bathroom.

“Ready, baby,” Emily answers.

The smile on Emily’s face is wiped off as JJ walks out in nothing but high heels and a red bow, strategically placed over her neatly trimmed center. She has reapplied her make up and fluffed up her hair in a way that always makes Emily swoon. Two smaller bows cover her breasts.

“Oh, Jennifer…” Emily whispers.

“So, is this what you asked for?”

Emily nods. “Oh, yeah. Definitely number 1 on my list.”

JJ walks over to the bed and kneels on the side of it. “Well, you going to open me up or what?”

Emily shivers at the double entendre. “Oh, yes…yes, I am.”

Emily pulls JJ down and spends the rest of the night playing with her “gift.”


End file.
